PPA ERT Helps with Everything from Evacuation to Trauma Healing for Cianjur Earthquake Victims

The Emergency Response Team (ERT) of PT Putra Perkasa Abadi (PPA) moved quickly to help victims of the Cianjur earthquake in West Java, which struck on Monday (21/11/2022). Less than 24 hours after the quake, the PPA ERT had arrived on site and went straight into helping victims.

PPA deployed seven personnel to the Cianjur earthquake site — one team leader, one rescue officer, one doctor, three paramedics and one logistics officer. They were equipped with one field vehicle, one ambulance and one set of mountaineering equipment to support search, victim evacuation and health recovery at the disaster site.

Searching for victims at a number of points was one of the rescue team's priorities, including in Cugenang District, one of the worst-hit locations. There, PPA's Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team worked alongside SAR and military personnel to evacuate victims trapped by landslides. The PPA ERT also handed over four fullset water pump units to Basarnas to make the search for earthquake victims easier.

Together with other rescue teams under ESDM Siaga Bencana, the PPA ERT also opened a health service post in Warung Kondang District. Medical aid ranged from treating the injured to health checks for those affected by the quake and the provision of medicines.

Working with the local community, the PPA ERT opened public kitchens in 3 villages: Gasol, Nagrak and Nyalindung. Food logistics were supplied for the displaced, from rice, eggs and cooking oil to mineral water, to make sure the needs of the displaced and those affected by the quake were met.

Finally, trauma healing activities were also run by PPA ERT personnel for children affected by the disaster. They were invited to play and sing and were given stationery and a number of educational toys to cheer them up and ease the trauma of the earthquake.

"PPA bergerak cepat memberikan bantuan ini agar meringankan beban masyarakat terdampak gempa di Cianjur. PPA akan terus bekerjasama dan berkoordinasi dengan berbagai pihak untuk menyalurkan bantuan sehingga juga dapat mempercepat pemulihan pasca bencana," said PPA Director R. Teguh Saptosubroto. "PPA mengucapkan duka cita sedalam-dalamnya kepada korban gempa bumi di Cianjur. Semoga seluruh korban dapat diberikan kekuatan dan ketabahan dalam menghadapi cobaan ini," he added.

Humanitarian missions to disaster sites are nothing new for PPA. Since 2018 the PPA ERT has gone into the field at least 15 times to help victims of natural disasters, among them the Lombok earthquake (2018), the Palu earthquake and tsunami (2018), the Banten earthquake and tsunami (2019), the Tanah Laut flood in South Kalimantan (2020), the flash floods & landslides in NTT (2021), the Tanah Bumbu flood in South Kalimantan (2021), the eruption of Mount Semeru (2021), the West Sumatra earthquake and landslide (2022) and most recently the Sangatta flood in East Kalimantan (2022). *