Banten Deputy Governor instructs formation of special flood response team

Serang — The Deputy Governor of Banten, Achmad Dimyati Natakusumah, has instructed the formation of a special cross-sectoral task force to address flooding problems that have spread across the region due to extreme weather conditions.

Speaking in Serang on Monday, Dimyati emphasised that all regional government organisations must immediately activate emergency response protocols to anticipate the impacts of the disaster triggered by heavy rainfall intensity over recent days.

“I have instructed all parties to be active and we will establish a task force to resolve the flooding problem. The Social Services Department, the Disaster Management Agency, Public Works, Housing Affairs, and all relevant departments must move immediately,” he stated.

According to him, the cycle of intense rainfall occurring continuously from morning until evening has had a real impact on the community. For this reason, he stressed that regional government officials must demonstrate empathy and speed in their response.

“The people affected by flooding are suffering. We must have a sense of crisis about this situation because the conditions are very vulnerable and high-risk,” he added.

He also highlighted that the impact of this flooding has been fairly widespread, even submerging the residences of several regional officials. This, according to Dimyati, serves as a reminder that disaster risk is currently very high and requires serious and comprehensive action.

Through this instruction, the Deputy Governor hopes that inter-agency coordination can run more effectively, from the stage of evacuating residents, distributing logistical assistance, to repairing drainage infrastructure and housing post-disaster in order to minimise losses among the community.