Buleleng Regent Calls on Joint Team to Focus on Locating Flood-Affected Residents

Buleleng, Bali (ANTARA) – The Regent of Buleleng, I Nyoman Sutjidra, asked the disaster-management joint team to move quickly to search for residents affected by flash floods in Banjar district. “Search efforts are underway (for the three missing residents) with a team consisting of BPBD personnel, the TNI/Polri, Basarnas, and Polair. We are involving everyone to scour the riverbanks up to the coast at Kalianget,” he said while inspecting several disaster-affected areas in Banjar, Buleleng Regency, Bali, on Saturday. He also coordinated with relevant stakeholders to promptly address damages and debris carried by the flash floods. “Immediately we will carry out cleaning; two heavy machines have been deployed to perform cleanup on the riverbank and in the homes of those affected,” he added. He said four flood-affected districts are continuing to coordinate through their respective camat (sub-district chiefs) as part of mitigating after-disaster risks. “In fact, rainfall in the upper areas has been quite heavy since Friday afternoon (6/3), causing the river to flow heavily toward Banjar village,” he said. Basarnas Buleleng Search and Rescue Coordinator Kadek Donny Indrawan told Friday night (6/3) that they had received reports from three locations, namely reports of a drowning with a vehicle in Banjar Santal, reports of a family trapped by the flood in Banjar Sekar and Dusun Ambengan, Banjar District. After conducting a sweep, one person who had drowned in Banjar Santal was found dead, while three people from Dusun Ambengan were reported missing. He said that given the night conditions and the floodwaters still heavy, they conducted searches in areas deemed safe. On Saturday morning, together with the relevant authorities Basarnas resumed searches to locate the three residents still missing. “We are clearing debris at suspected points, then checking along the river flow to the estuary,” he said. To ease the burden on flood-affected residents, the Buleleng Regency Government through the Social Service Department will promptly distribute aid in the form of tents, blankets, sleeping mats, and staple foods. The heavy rainfall on Friday night (6/3) caused flash floods to strike several sub-districts in Buleleng. The affected sub-districts are Busungbiu, Seririt, Sukasada, and Banjar. The worst flood in Banjar sub-district caused structural damage and casualties; one resident died and a mother and two children were swept away by the current.