Indonesia says over $3 billion in funds required after Sumatra floods

Bangkok Post Group

Indonesia's Sumatra island will require $3.11 billion in reconstruction and recovery funds following a series of deadly floods, senior government officials said. - REUTERS

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00:00The Indonesian island of Sumatra will require almost 52 trillion rupiah,

00:05or just over 3 billion US dollars, in reconstruction and recovery funds.

00:10That's according to senior government officials, who have been calculating the cost of cyclone-induced

00:14floods and landslides that hit the island this month. At least 950 people have been confirmed

00:20dead, and hundreds more are missing. Suha Yanto, the head of Indonesia's disaster mitigation

00:25agency, said the recovery funds needed are likely to rise across the three provinces of Aceh,

00:29North Sumatra and West Sumatra, as the agency continues to calculate how much damage has been done.

00:35According to Suha Yanto, Aceh, the worst affected province, is likely to require the most money.

00:40He added the reconstruction process is set to begin soon in some areas in North Sumatra and

00:45West Sumatra, which have recovered relatively well. Responding to the initial estimated recovery cost,

00:50President Prabowo Subianto said his calculations were similar, without elaborating whether he

00:54will approve the spending or not. Assistance could prove to be a lifeline for many,

00:59including this man. He says he's come back to salvage what he can,

01:05and hopes the government can help in any way. Local government officials on Sumatra have called

01:11on the government in Jakarta to declare a national emergency to free up additional funds

01:15for rescue and relief efforts.

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