Flood, landslides damage 187 houses in C. Java

Flood, landslides damage 187 houses in C. Java

Several residents of Cikadu village, Pemalang regency in Central
Java gape at what was once a home after heavy rain
and landslides wreaked havoc in the area late on Wednesday.

The natural disaster severely damaged 187 houses and four
mosques in the area.

No fatalities were reported in the incident but some 760
locals had taken refuge in safer areas of the district, including
an elementary school.

Villagers fled when they were alerted to the danger as the
storm hit the fractured soil which had become susceptible to
landslides after the prolonged dry season.

Yoyo, a staffer at the Pemalang administration, said that the
administration could only afford basic living expenses for the
refugees for one to two weeks.

The losses due to the disaster have been estimated at Rp 3.2
billion (US$350,000).

The Central Java provincial government has vowed to allocate
Rp 866.4 billion (US$ 96 million) in the 2003 budget to handle
natural disasters in the province. --JP