BMG warns of more disasters<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) issued a public
\nwarning on Friday of more landslides and floods due to rainstorms
\nthat would fall until the end of this month, especially in the
\nsouthern and eastern parts of the country.<\/p>\n
BMG head Gunawan Ibrahim predicted heavy rains would fall in
\nthe provinces of Riau, Bangka-Belitung, South Sumatra, Central
\nJava, East Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara,
\nSouth East Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua.<\/p>\n
\"We have warned authorities in the provinces about the heavy
\nrains and possible landslides and floods that may continue until
\nthe end of this month. The end of February will be the peak of
\nthe rainy season,\" Gunawan said.<\/p>\n
Floods, rainstorms and landslides have claimed dozens of lives
\nand inundated many parts of the country over the past week.<\/p>\n
At least 15 people were killed when a landslide buried their
\nhomes last week in Purworejo regency, Central Java.<\/p>\n
Severe storms also hit Jakarta and several cities along the
\nnorthern coast of Java last week.<\/p>\n
Gunawan said the heavy rains were caused by a collision of
\nsoutherly winds from Australia and northerly winds from the Asian
\ncontinent, which created dense clouds over Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The agency predicts that rainfall will reach a depth of more
\nthan 100 millimeters per day, more than double the norm.<\/p>\n
\"Due to the very heavy rains, landslides may occur in many
\nunstable hilly areas, while floods could sweep through lower
\nareas in the regions,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Gunawan said rainfall would start to decline in March and a
\ntransitional season would last from May to June before the dry
\nseason arrives in July.<\/p>\n
In East Nusa Tenggara, at least four people died and five
\nremained missing following a flood in Reok district, Manggarai
\nregency.<\/p>\n
Local information office head Agustinus Ampur said on Friday
\nthat the search and rescue team were continuing their search for
\nthe missing persons.<\/p>\n
\"The roads have been cut by the flood, making it impossible
\nfor us to deliver humanitarian aid. The telecommunication system
\nhas also been cut out there,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The villages of Reo and Mata Air in the same district were
\nseverely damaged, with almost all houses engulfed by the
\nfloodwaters that reached 2.5 meters deep.<\/p>\n
At least 27 schools in Gubub district, Grobogan regency,
\nCentral Java, have been suspended since Thursday as floods washed
\nthrough the buildings.<\/p>\n
Students and teachers from 21 elementary schools, three junior
\nhigh schools and three senior high schools have combined forces
\nto save school supplies and equipment.<\/p>\n
\"Many of our supplies were damaged by the flood, including our
\nbooks. We can't count our losses,\" local education agency head
\nSugiyono said.<\/p>\n
Sugiyono expected the students to resume their studies on
\nMonday, if floodwaters had subsided and the damage could be
\nrepaired.<\/p>\n
The flood has also cut roads linking Grobogan and the
\nprovincial capital of Semarang, destroyed 15 dikes and swamped
\n290 hectares of paddy fields.<\/p>\n
Lack of tarpaulins and other emergency materials to erect
\nmakeshift tents have forced hundreds of people from five villages
\nin Karangasem regency, some 70 kilometers east of Denpasar, Bali,
\nto take shelter in the homes of relatives and neighbors after
\ntheir homes were blown down by a windstorm earlier this week.<\/p>\n
\"The regent distributed 30 tarpaulins to the victims yesterday
\n-- all the tarpaulins we could buy from every store in
\nKarangasem,\" administration spokesperson I Made Suama said on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
The windstorm that sporadically hit four regencies in Bali has
\ndamaged at least 2,135 houses, of which 268 were completely
\ndestroyed. The disaster also ruined 12 schools.<\/p>\n
The villages of Bukit, Seraya Timur, Seraya Barat,
\nTegallinggah and Seraya Tengah were hardest hit by the gale-force
\nwinds.<\/p>\n
In East Java, three cabinet ministers visited on Friday three
\ndistricts in Mojokerto regency that have been flooded out since
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
During their visit, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare
\nJusuf Kalla, Minister of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure
\nSoenarno and State Minister of Communications and Information
\nSyamsul Mu'arif said the government would take every measure to
\nprevent floods in the future.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bmg-warns-of-more-disasters-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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