Flood victims face possible starvation<\/p>\n
Agus Maryono and Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Kebumen\/Purwokerto<\/p>\n
More than 20,000 of the 30,000 victims of flooding in the
\nregencies of Kebumen, Cilacap and Banyumas in the southern part
\nof Central Java are facing possible starvation and drug shortages
\ndue to the dwindling supplies of food and drugs.<\/p>\n
Refugees being housed in temporary shelters, mosques and
\nschool buildings in safe areas in the regencies say they have
\nnothing to help them through the disaster and that they are
\ntotally dependent on the local government for humanitarian aid.<\/p>\n
\"Our belongings were swept away by the flood and we have
\nnothing to eat for tomorrow as the food supply has become less
\nand less,\" Katinem, a flood victim in Banyumas, told The Jakarta
\nPost in Banyumas on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Gatot Arif, spokesman for the Cilacap administration, said
\nthat tens of thousands of refugees in the regency were running
\nshort of basic commodities and a small number of them were
\nsuffering skin diseases because of the absence of clean water at
\ntheir temporary shelters.<\/p>\n
\"The refugees are generally in good health, but following the
\nweek-long flood, a larger number of refugees are facing shortages
\nof basic commodities such as food, drugs, blankets and soap,\" he
\nsaid, denying that a diarrhea outbreak had hit the region.<\/p>\n
He added that the floodwater, which reached a depth of 0.5
\nmeters, had inundated 73 villages in 14 of 23 subdistricts,
\ncausing Rp 4 billion in material losses to local people.<\/p>\n
In Banyumas, Regent Aris Setiono said more than 2,300 houses
\nand tens of thousands of hectares of paddy fields in 18 villages
\nhad been inundated.<\/p>\n
\"More than 1,200 villages are taking refuge in temporary
\nshelters built by the local administration in cooperation with
\nlocal non-governmental organizations. So far, it has been
\nassessed that the flood has caused more than Rp 2 billion in
\nmaterial losses,\" he said when accompanying Central Java Governor
\nMardiyanto on a visit to flood victims in the regency on
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n
In Kebumen, 125 residents of the worst-hit Madureja village,
\nwhich local administration personnel have yet to reach, are not
\nonly short of food and drugs but have to endure the stench of
\ndead cattle that drowned in the flood.<\/p>\n
The village head, Marsudi Pamudja Widayat, said villagers had
\nbuilt shelters over dikes along the great river Telomoyo because
\nthey had no transportation facilities to reach safe areas.<\/p>\n
\"The government should supply food and drugs to the villagers
\nuntil the floodwater subsides,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Kebumen Regent Rustriningsih appealed to affluent people to
\ngive humanitarian aid to help the tens of thousands of flood
\nvictims who are taking refuge at temporary shelters in safe areas
\nin the regency.<\/p>\n
\"Refugees are in urgent need of food and drugs as the food
\nstock provided by the local administration is almost finished,\"
\nshe said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/flood-victims-face-possible-starvation-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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