People return home to mud and filth<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Rain early Thursday has made the mud and piling garbage
\nalongside roads stickier and stinkier. With trousers rolled up
\nhigh and tattered T-shirts, many Jakartans began another day of
\nstruggle to clean up the mess in their houses.<\/p>\n
Amid their painstaking efforts to reclaim their houses, the
\nexhausted-faces showed signs of fear at the prospect of further
\nflooding.<\/p>\n
Adi, the neighborhood chief in Bukit Duri subdistrict in South
\nJakarta, said many residents were still reluctant to clean their
\nhouses and fix the damage.<\/p>\n
"They're still worried that another flood will come in the
\nnear future," he said, adding the fears were based on weather
\nforecasts predicting the torrential rains would continue until
\nmid February.<\/p>\n
"I'm very tired from washing so many clothes that plunged into
\nmuddy floodwater. Many have to be thrown away as they're totally
\ndamaged by the water," he said, pointing to dozens of wet clothes
\ndrying in front of his house.<\/p>\n
Four spring beds coated with dirt and mud were seen standing
\nwet while damaged chairs and tables were also drying in the front
\nof the garage.<\/p>\n
Adi said the furniture was repolished just a week before the
\nflood and had cost him Rp 800,000 (US$78).<\/p>\n
"Right now our top priority is washing and cleaning cooking
\nutensils. They're the most important goods," he said.<\/p>\n
His neighbor, Gunawan, said he had canceled his plan to bring
\ndown all his belongings from the second story of his home because
\nof the predictions.<\/p>\n
"I'm still afraid another flood will occur and destroy my
\nbelongings if I bring them down."<\/p>\n
He said he was prioritizing cleaning the thick mud and rubbish
\nfrom his home.<\/p>\n
During last week's floods, Adi lost three tape recorders, two
\nrefrigerators and four electric fans. Gunawan lost his three
\npersonal computers.<\/p>\n
Predictions of another flood also haunted most shop owners,
\nwho began to resume operations on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Rumors relating to Cyclone Chris were spread via cellphone SMS
\n(short message service).<\/p>\n
Still suffering shock from the massive losses inflicted by the
\nfloods, Yurni, the owner of Barokah shops at Cipulir textile and
\ngarment market in South Jakarta, preferred not to open her shop
\nas normal.<\/p>\n
"We're just displaying some models for customers in the first-
\nstory shop while all goods are securely stored in another shop
\nlocated a few hundred meters away from here," she said, groaning
\nthat such efforts had made her exhausted.<\/p>\n
"It's the only possible way to minimize greater losses."<\/p>\n
Yurni claimed she had lost 600 clothes items in the floods.<\/p>\n
"Some can still be washed and sold in much lower prices but
\nmost of them must be dumped."<\/p>\n
Water reached about 80-centimeters at the second biggest
\ntextile market after Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Syamsudin, who runs a carpet shop in Jatinegara market, East
\nJakarta, echoed similar concerns.<\/p>\n
"Most merchandise is still stored upstairs pending the
\nprogress of the situation," he said. Some of his carpets were
\ndamaged during the flood which reached 1.5 meters.<\/p>\n
Most shops at the market remained closed Thursday with piling
\ngarbage alongside the road hampering motorists efforts to pass.<\/p>\n
Oky, who runs an electric implement shop, opened his shop amid
\nsluggish business as he needed money.<\/p>\n
"If we continue to close our shop, how could we earn money to
\nrepay our debts to the bank," he said.<\/p>\n
Oky was among those who managed to save goods in his two-story
\nshop\/house.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/people-return-home-to-mud-and-filth-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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