6.000 take refufe after Blitar flooding
6.000 take refufe after Blitar flooding
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
At least six thousand residents of Blitar regency, East Java province, have taken refuge on higher ground after flooding hit the area between Thursday and Friday.
No fatalities were reported in the incident, but there are fears that the flooding will worsen as heavy rain and high winds were still affecting the area on Friday evening.
The flooding had inundated hundreds of houses in five subdistricts of Sutojayan district, Blitar regency, some hundreds of kilometers east of Jakarta. In some places, water reached three meters deep.
Several witnesses recalled that the flooding began at 10 p.m on Thursday. "A heavy downpour hit our area on Thursday afternoon and again that night. Suddenly, we found our area was being flooded," Arifin, a resident of Kedung Bunder subdistrict, was quoted as saying by Antara.
The water rose to 60 centimeters in some parts of the subdistrict that night, prompting people to flee to higher ground for safety. Residents said that the flooding came after the Bogel river overflowed following the heavy rain.
Most of the residents took refuge in a number of elementary schools in the subdistrict that are located on higher ground.
Local government officials from the Public Works Office and Public Order Agency, and police personnel have been deployed to the area to help take residents to safety.
A spokesman for the Blitar regental administration, Didik Bintoro, said that the local government had provided some 60 kilograms of rice and 150 boxes of instant noodles to residents in need.
Flooding also began to affect Tulungagung and Bojonegoro regencies, which are in East Java province as well. The flooding has not severely affected residents as yet, but in Tulungagung regency, two bridges collapsed due to flash floods. The collapse of the two bridges has cut road links between South Tulungagung and South Blitar. Floodwaters have inundated thousands of hectares of paddy fields in Pucang Laban and Kalidawir districts, leaving local farmers dismayed.
Hundreds of residents of Bandung and Basuki districts in the regency have also been affected by flooding but have stayed put as the floodwaters are only a few centimeters deep so far. The flooding occurred after the Bandung river burst its banks.
"Residents are worried as rain is continuing to fall here," said Krisna, a resident of Bandung district, on Friday evening.
The flooding has prevented fishermen in the regency from dispatching fish to markets in the city as the road connecting the coast and the city has been buried in thick mud, preventing trucks from passing.
Roeswita Sianipar, the head of Tulungagung's Public Works Office, said that he had dispatched sandbags to the flood- affected areas to help prevent further inundations.
In Bojonegoro regency, rain over the past two weeks has resulted in the Bengawan Solo river overflowing its banks, leading into widespread flooding in the area. Thousands of hectares of paddy fields in the regency have been inundated, but the flooding has yet to affect residential areas.
In Jambi province, the Jambi provincial government has prepared medicines and food in anticipation of flooding in the province, said Zulkifli Nurdin, the Jambi Governor.
Flooding hit Rokan Hilir regency in Riau Island a few days ago, killing one person.