Scouts help Cianjur’s earthquake victims

After the 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit Cianjur District of the West Java Province of Indonesia on Monday afternoon, 21 November 2022, Scouts around the devastated areas grabbed their Scout neckerchief, vest and gears, then proceeded to help people in the evacuation site, and assisted in the search and rescue operations.

Some Senior Rovers took charge in renovating the water channel near the Presidential Palace at Cipanas (around 26 kilometers from Cianjur), and helped motorists overcome road blockages caused by landslides caused by the earthquake. This includes fast response by humanitarian actors from other parts of Java and whole of Indonesia to come to the affected areas in Cianjur District. While in the Cianjur, Scouts – mostly Rovers, Senior Rovers, and Scout leaders – not only came from Cianjur itself, but also from Sukabumi, Bogor, Bandung, and other cities and towns nearby Cianjur.

For the first two days of the disaster, Scouts helped search for earthquake victims who were still buried in rubble or missing. As of writing, (Wednesday afternoon, 23 November 2022), there were 268 died and 151 still missing as reported by Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure. Due to fear of aftershocks, people did not return to their homes and Indonesia’s Ministry of Social Affairs established 1,000 large tents in the affected districts to ensure that people are safe. Public kitchens were set up near the settlements. Scouts helped in the public kitchen by cooking and distributing food to the evacuees.

Hundreds of Scouts joined the evacuation and rescue operations. They came from West Java, Jakarta, and Banten Provinces. They are members of the Scouts Care Task Force which is present in every province of Indonesia. Gerakan Pramuka National Headquarters opened donations for money or material such as food, blankets, clothes, mattresses, tents, medical supplies for the victims through the Bersama Pulihkan Cianjur or Together Recover Cianjur.

Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Committee Chairman Dale B. Corvera and Regional Director J. Rizal C. Pangilinan sent a letter of sympathy expressing their “prayers and condolences to the bereaved family” and wishes of “strength for those who survived that they may be able to overcome this disaster.”

Written by Berthold Sinaulan, APR Correspondent

Photos by Pramuka Peduli (Scout Care Unit)