Batam, 1 July 2023. PT XL Axiata Tbk (XL Axiata) through XL Axiata Peduli Bencana and Majelis Ta'lim XL Axiata (MTXL Axiata) distributed aid to residents affected by the tornado in Kasu Island, Batam, Riau Islands Province. Assistance in the form of basic daily necessities such as rice, cooking oil, tea, sugar, instant noodles, soy sauce and also medicines that are currently needed by people affected by the tornado. The handover of aid directly to the disaster site was handed over by Territory Sales Manager of XL Axiata Batam area, Dedy Prasetyawan on Kasu Island, Batam, Friday (30/6) to the Village Treasurer, Junaidah together with the tornado victims.
Group Head of XL Axiata West Region, Desy Sari Dewi said, "As part of the community on Kasu Island, Batam. We are sorry for the impact caused by the tornado. XL Axiata and its employees are always on standby to help communities affected by disasters, especially in each of our operational areas. Therefore, we immediately distributed aid to help ease the burden on the people of Kasu Island, Batam. Hopefully this disaster will soon pass and the lives of the people in this location will return to normal."
Desy added that for the distribution of aid, XL Axiata team collaborated with Benihbaik.com and local officials, to distribute and ensure that aid packages in each target area reached the beneficiaries and in accordance with the predetermined time. In distributing aid, the XL Axiata team had to take a pompong boat from Batam to Kasu Island, which is one of the islands in the Riau Islands group and is located west of Batam island with a travel time of less than 40 minutes from Batam.
The tornado that hit Kasu Island damaged dozens of houses and injured several residents.
For MTXL Axiata, this donation is one part of the MTXL Axiata Disaster Response Program which aims to help Indonesian people in need of assistance. This donation is also a form of concern from XL Axiata employees to ease the burden on the people of Kasu Island who are facing disasters.
The procurement for this aid was collected from XL Axiata employees' zakat funds managed by MTXL Axiata.
All funds collected through MTXL Disaster Response Program are channelled directly by holding various social actions for the Indonesian people in various regions. Apart from being channelled in the form of emergency assistance to disaster-affected areas, funds from employees are also channelled in various social activities, such as the construction and renovation of village bridges, mosque construction, power plants, house renovation, smart farms, clean water sources, livestock development, special sewing training for the disabled up to refill water depots.
Regarding XL Axiata's services during the tornado disaster, the overall XL Axiata network in all regions is in a safe condition, so that it can still be used by people who need telecommunication services. XL Axiata will continue to monitor the condition of devices and networks in this area so that they can continue to operate in the current tornado disaster emergency situation.