Heavy rains spell disaster in several provinces<\/p>\n
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang<\/p>\n
While many provinces have enhanced their preparedness for
\npossible disasters during the rainy season, floods and landslides
\nhave brought suffering to many people in other provinces.<\/p>\n
A heavy downpour and strong winds caused a flash flood and
\nlandslides in Alor, East Nusa Tenggara, destroying 151 houses on
\nthe island.<\/p>\n
The flood and landslides that hit the island on Friday also
\ndestroyed a 2,500-meter section of asphalted road, three bridges
\nand 35 hectares of sweet corn.<\/p>\n
So far, no fatalities have been reported in the disasters.<\/p>\n
Assistant to the secretary of the Alor regency administration
\nAnwar Djawa, said on Saturday, all people whose houses were
\ndestroyed by the disasters have already been evacuated to safer
\nareas but they refused to stay inside the houses or temporary
\nshelters for fear of further floods.<\/p>\n
"The local administration has dispatched food and medicine and
\nestablished temporary shelters in safer areas. All school
\nactivities have been suspended until the flood subsides," he
\nsaid, saying it was still raining in the regency capital of
\nKalabahi all day long on Saturday.<\/p>\n
He said the floods and landslides had affected the
\nsubdistricts of West Alor, East Alor, Pantar, North Central Alor
\nand Southeast Alor.<\/p>\n
In Atambua, the flood that claimed the lives of dozens of
\npeople recently has abated but flood victims have not returned
\nhome for fear of more flooding because it has continued to rain
\nafter the recent flood.<\/p>\n
Belu Regent Marsellus Bere, said his administration was still
\ncounting the material losses caused by the recent disasters in
\nefforts to seek financial assistance for all victims from the
\ncentral government.<\/p>\n
Around 35,000 people in 19 villages in the regency are
\nawaiting assistance from the government since their houses,
\nbelongings and rice fields were destroyed in the recent
\ndisasters.<\/p>\n
A total of 30 people were killed when floods hit two
\nsubdistricts in the regency in 2000.<\/p>\n
In the northern part of West Java, floods have damaged a total
\nof 40,000 hectares of rice fields and inundated around 4,000
\nhouses in 20 villages in the regencies of Karawang, Indramayu and
\nCirebon.<\/p>\n
Indramayu Regent Irianto Syafiuddin along with Iwan Hendrawan,
\nchairman of the regency legislature, called on local people to be
\nprepared for possible worse floods in the coming two weeks.<\/p>\n
He said the local administration had equipped the local search
\nand rescue team with rubber dinghies and medicine to help flood
\nvictims.<\/p>\n
The flood has also inundated around 8,000 hectares of rice
\nfields and 3,000 hectares of shrimp ponds in the regency.<\/p>\n
In Padang, West Sumatra, provincial authorities have called on
\nlocal people to improve their preparedness in case of floods and
\nlandslides due to the continued rain and strong winds in certain
\nareas in the province.<\/p>\n
"Padang, Solok, Bukit Tinggi and Padang Pariaman are quite
\nprone to floods and landslides," Idham Firmanta, spokesman for
\nthe provincial administration said on Monday.<\/p>\n
Around 200 square meters of farmland in a village in Brebes,
\nCentral Java, were destroyed in a landslide caused by incessant
\nrain in the regency.<\/p>\n
In Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, businessman Irwan Gunadi,
\nthe head of Bina Benua Group, called on residents in the city to
\ncontinue to stay alert in case of floods due to the higher
\nrainfall in the city.<\/p>\n
He said the rainfall had been between 50 millimeters and 100
\nmillimeters above the normal level of 200 millimeters per day for
\nthe wet season.<\/p>\n
"The city is quite prone to floods because of environmental
\ndeterioration and the numerous rivers that pass through the
\ncity," he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/heavy-rains-spell-disaster-in-several-provinces-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}