"The operation is focusing on protecting and restoring seven affected villages in two sub-districts, namely Wulanggitang Sub-district and Ile Bura Sub-district, which include villages of Pululera, Nawokote, Hokeng Jaya, Klatanlo, Boru, Boru Kedang, and Dulipali," Head of the Indonesian Army Information Service, Brigadier General Wahyu Yudhayana, stated on Saturday.

His side deployed 169 personnel from the Kupang Supply and Transportation Detachment (Denbekang), the Kupang Regional Health Detachment (Denkesyah), and the Korem Information (Penremt) to the disaster location.

Yudhayana remarked that they had built public and health facilities, 20 evacuation points, and five public kitchens for refugees.

"Each evacuation point is managed by a team experienced in disaster mitigation to ensure the safety of each refugee," he noted.

Yudhayana stated that his personnel serve 8,431 refugees and ensure their food and health needs are fulfilled.

Apart from the public kitchen and evacuation posts, the Army also provided communication facilities for officers to coordinate between posts.

With these communication facilities, the troops can coordinate with the command post regarding the refugees' needs.

"This allows any additional requests to be handled immediately, such as medical needs, emergency infrastructure repairs, or procurement of additional logistics," Wahyu elaborated.

Apart from humanitarian operations, the team also conducts periodic operational evaluations to ensure that the humanitarian mission is running effectively and on target.

Wahyu ensured that his personnel would stay at the location until the situation and conditions were safe and recovered slowly.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki is one of the active volcanoes in NTT, whose volcanic activity has fluctuated throughout the year, with eruptions starting on November 4, forcing at least 11,533 people to flee.

(ANT/BR)