520 Homes Damaged by Tornado in West Bandung

The West Bandung Regency Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) in West Java reported that 520 homes were damaged when a tornado struck three villages in Padalarang district.

Yoga Ali Imbran, head of the agency’s Emergency and Logistics Division, said the affected homes were spread across Padalarang village, with 398 houses; Jayamekar village, with 95; and Kertajaya village, with 27.

“As of today’s tally, a total of 520 homes have been damaged by the tornado. They are spread across three villages: Padalarang, Kertajaya and Jayamekar,” he said when contacted in West Bandung on Tuesday (27 October).

In Padalarang village, 139 homes sustained minor damage, 161 moderate damage and 98 severe damage. Jayamekar recorded 71 homes with minor damage and 24 with severe damage. In Kertajaya, 14 homes were severely damaged, four sustained moderate damage and nine sustained minor damage.

The disaster also damaged nine public facilities. Seven are in Padalarang village and the other two in Kertajaya.

The affected public facilities include a mosque, a madrasah, a community health post (posyandu), a food security office and a Merah Putih Village Cooperative (KDMP) building.

Yoga said damage assessments and data collection had been under way since Monday (26 October). The work involved the BPBD, village officials, hamlet heads, volunteers from the Disaster Resilient Village programme (Destana), neighbourhood and community association officials, and residents in the affected areas.

Alongside documenting the damage, joint response teams and residents have been clearing debris from buildings brought down by the strong winds.

“Joint teams and residents are still working together to clear rubble from buildings that collapsed in the strong winds,” he said.

The West Bandung BPBD urged residents to remain alert to the possibility of heavy rain accompanied by strong winds.

Such weather could trigger various disasters, including fallen trees, damage to buildings, flooding and landslides.