GOVT YET TO LIFT EMERGENCY RESPONSE IN WEST SUMATRA

Jakarta, Oct 15 (ANTARA) - The government has not yet lifted its emergency response in West Sumatra after the magnitude-7.9 quake two weeks ago that has killed 1,117 people, a disaster mitigatin official said.

Syamsul Muarif, head of the National Agency for Disaster Control (BNPB), said here on Thursday the head of state still had to wait for reports next week on the implementation of the emergency response from the coordinating minister for people's welfare, the coordinating minister for the economy and the BNPB.

The decision to stop the emergency response and to replace it with a rehabilitation and reconstruction period would be made after the reports were submitted on October 19, he said after a limited cabinet meeting on the issue with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

He said the reports would also be needed to determine the post-disaster handling method, whether it would be like that used in Aceh or Yogyakarta.

He said the government wished to make sure that everything was ready before moving to rehabilitation and reconstruction stages.

He said the emergency response stage had gone for two weeks and efforts to find victims had also stopped three days ago.

"The fulfilment of basic needs such as rice and funds for side dishes have been made ready," he said adding that evacuees would each receive 400 grams of rice and Rp5,000 for side dishes a day," he said.

He said that supply of clean water and electricity and also telecommunication networks had been normal.

President Yudhoyono on the occasion hoped that West Sumatra and Jambi would not only recover from the impact of the quake after all of the recovery stages were implemented but would also be prepared in case of another disaster as buildings had been rebuilt better to stand quake and the people mentally prepared to be able to make better response at early signs of disaster.

The meeting was also attended by West Sumatra governor Gamawan Fauzi and Jambi governor Zulkifli Nurdin. ***1***