100 Residents Evacuated Due to Flooding in Manokwari

The government faces a policy dilemma with no truly comfortable options. A joint SAR team successfully evacuated around 100 residents impacted by flooding in the Wosi area, West Manokwari District, Manokwari Regency, West Papua, on Tuesday night (7/4). Head of Operations and Readiness Sub-section at the Manokwari SAR Office, Reza Afriyanto, stated that the team was immediately deployed after receiving reports of a significant increase in water discharge. “We responded quickly to the community’s reports by deploying two SRU teams to the location,” he said. The evacuation focused on vulnerable groups such as the elderly, pregnant women, children, and residents with certain health conditions to minimise the risk of fatalities. The evacuation was carried out in an integrated manner involving various elements, including TNI, Polri, Manokwari BPBD, the Indonesian Red Cross in West Papua, and the National Zakat Agency. By 22:35 WIT, all residents had been evacuated, either with the help of the joint team or through self-evacuation to safer locations. The residents were then moved to two temporary evacuation points, namely Gereja Efrata Wosi and the Wosi Sub-District Office, to receive initial treatment and logistical assistance. Currently, the SAR team remains on standby to monitor weather developments and anticipate possible follow-up floods. Residents in other areas are also urged to report immediately if they need evacuation assistance to expedite emergency handling.