67 homes destroyed in C. Java landslides
67 homes destroyed in C. Java landslides
Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Pos, Banyumas
A total of 67 houses were destroyed by landslides in Banyumas and
Cilacap regencies in Central Java early on Monday, following the
incessant downpour on Saturday and Sunday in the region.
At least 20 houses were badly damaged in Tlaga village in
Banyumas and 47 others were totally destroyed in Dayeuh Luhur
village in Cilacap.
There were no human casualties in the disasters but more than
400 people have been forced to take refuge in safer areas in the
two regencies.
More food aid was flown in from the provincial administration
and numerous non-governmental organizations to the local
administration to be distributed to the refugees.
Banyumas Regent Aris Setiono called on all people living in
mountainous areas of the regency to move to safer areas due to
fresh fears of more landslides in the future.
"We call on all people living in mountainous areas and on the
slopes of hillsides to move to safe areas because more and more
landslides are expected to occur during the rainy season," he
said when he met and handed over food aid to the landslide
victims in Tlaga on Monday.
He said the flood and landslides that destroyed more than 60
houses two weeks ago have caused more than Rp 3 billion in
material losses to local people.
More than 150,000 hectares of rice fields were also damaged in
the regency. Farmers who had previously received special credit
under the farm credit scheme have asked the government for debt
relief because of their damaged crops.
Cilacap Regent Hery Tabri also made a similar demand as he was
distributing humanitarian assistance to landslide victims in
Cilulu, Pucung Datar and Ciparahu villages.
He said he asked the Volcanology and Disaster Mitigation
agency in Bandung to seriously study and identify areas prone to
landslides in the regency.
"The local administration will not allow local people to
establish their houses in areas prone to landslides," he said,
adding that the landslides and flooding had cost local people
more than Rp 2.5 billion.