Disasters are often unavoidable, as evidenced by the recent Long Beliu Village, Kelay District, Berau Regency incident. On Friday, September 20, 2024, at 4:30 PM WITA, a tragedy struck RT 01 of Long Beliu Village. A fire caused by an electrical short circuit, combined with strong winds, quickly engulfed homes occupied by nine families. As a result, 34 individuals (20 men and 14 women) were forced to evacuate.
The fire devastated residents' homes and disrupted electricity access in the area due to severed power lines. The victims were left to stay with nearby relatives. In response to this unforeseen event, the Village Government and the Long Beliu Disaster Risk Reduction Forum (PRB) are actively working on recovery efforts. They are collaborating to manage post-fire aid. Coordination among various parties ensures that the affected victims receive their rights, including basic services and protection.
Long Beliu Village is one of the operational areas of the Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN). The village is also adjacent to the operational area of PT Wana Bakti Persada Utama (WBPU), which is involved in sustainable forest management practices and improving the livelihoods of communities in its working area.
As a moral responsibility, YKAN, together with PT WBPU, is committed to supporting the recovery efforts in this village. Their support includes humanitarian aid in the form of 30 blankets, 30 towels, 246 vitamins, medicines, and eucalyptus oil, 100 meters of electrical cable to restore power access, 11 school bags, 11 packages of notebooks, 18 sarongs, 16 packages of men's underwear, and ten packages of women's underwear.
YKAN and PT WBPU also support the village government's efforts to rebuild infrastructure. The solidarity of Long Beliu Village is evident in the residents' plans to work together and share resources to rebuild homes for all affected families. The community is also united in the installation of electrical systems to restore access to power as soon as possible. Together with the village government and the community, YKAN and PT WBPU are synergizing efforts to ensure the effective implementation of recovery planning.
This multi-stakeholder collaboration, emergency response, recovery planning, and optimization of social capital highlight the importance of disaster preparedness at the village level. The lessons learned from this fire disaster will help prepare all parties for a resilient and self-sufficient community.
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