Fear, grief prevail as floods return<\/p>\n
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Fear and distress were the order of the day for thousands of
\nflood victims forced to return to temporary shelters after
\nfloodwaters again inundated residential areas on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Frightened residents fled in panic as nearby rivers engulfed
\ntheir homes. Heavy rains returned on Friday and became more
\nintense on Saturday. Water from mountainous areas in Bogor that
\ninundated low lying parts of the capital exacerbated the
\nsituation.<\/p>\n
The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency has forecast that the
\nrain would continue until the end of this month.<\/p>\n
Sarmi, who was cleaning her house, some 50 meters from the
\nMokervart riverbank, when floodwaters returned rushed to a
\nshelter in Rawa Buaya subdistrict, Cengkareng, West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Along with her husband and two children, she had been forced
\nto stay at the shelter for almost 15 days before returning home
\non Friday.<\/p>\n
\"I thought the flood was over, but it came again. I won't
\nreturn home until I'm sure that there'll be no more flooding,\"
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
The exhausted mother said that she had just finished removing
\nmud from her house and washing the family's clothes when the
\nwater returned, flooding the house to waist height.<\/p>\n
\"All our clothes were still wet in the house. We're wearing
\ndonated clothes,\" she said.<\/p>\n
More than 2,500 flood victims sought refuge in the shelter,
\nwhere street vendors normally operate, after the river, a
\ntributary of the Cisadane, overflowed and engulfed the area to a
\ndepth of between 30 and 80 centimeters.<\/p>\n
A further 500 flood victims returned to the Bukit Duri
\nsubdistrict office, South Jakarta, seeking shelter on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Sumarni, who had stayed at the office for 10 days before
\nreturning home on Friday, said that she and her husband would not
\nleave the refugee camp until the government guaranteed that there
\nwould be no more flooding.<\/p>\n
\"I'm very tired after cleaning the mud from my house. But now
\nit's flooded again,\" the mother of three said.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of houses in three community units near Sekretaris
\nriver were inundated as a six-meter dike collapsed again on
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n
The dike, which also collapsed last week, was temporarily
\nrepaired by authorities using sand bags, but it was again unable
\nto cope with the strength of the floodwaters.<\/p>\n
The City Public Works Agency positioned rocks alongside the
\ndike on Saturday in a bid to halt the flooding.<\/p>\n
The latest data from the city administration's Center for
\nSocial Disturbance Control indicated that Central Jakarta was not
\nflooded. But, in fact, floodwaters again hit Petamburan, Kebon
\nKosong and Kemayoran.<\/p>\n
Many areas in the city's five mayoralties were deluged in the
\nafternoon with water levels reaching between 30 and 150
\ncentimeters. The flooding was caused mainly by heavy rains in
\nBogor, southern Jakarta.<\/p>\n
In Rawa Buaya, West Jakarta, flood victims sheltering in a
\nmosque were able to take some solace from the birth of a baby boy
\non Friday.<\/p>\n
The mother, Yunani, delivered the baby with the help of a
\nmidwife who was on duty at the health post in the area.<\/p>\n
City Governor Sutiyoso, who visited the flood victims in the
\narea, named the baby Adi Yoso after himself.<\/p>\n
At least seven people have died over the past week as a result
\nof flood-related illnesses, mainly diarrhea.<\/p>\n
A member of the Bukit Duri subdistrict Hansip (civilian
\ndefense), Toha, died on Saturday while cleaning his house. The
\n45-year old man suffered head injuries when he slipped on a muddy
\nfloor.<\/p>\n
An official report said that at least 21 people had died since
\nthe city was hit by almost two weeks of massive flooding, but
\ndata gathered on the ground suggested a death toll exceeding 30.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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