Flooding kills one in Papua

Flooding kills one in Papua

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura

Keerom regency and Jayapura city have been virtually underwater
since Saturday, with one fatality recorded so far and hundreds of
homes inundated.

In Keerom regency, some 65 kilometers east of Jayapura city,
the capital of Papua province, the area under water was still
expanding on Monday after torrential rain fell on Saturday and
Sunday.

As of Monday, people in the Arso and Skanto districts, which
were the hardest hit by the floods, were still sheltering in
safer places as their homes had been inundated by water of up to
one meter deep. Local officials estimated that at least 250 homes
in the area had been flooded.

The floodwaters were also affecting public facilities such as
schools, places of worship and community health centers, and have
washed away crops in many areas.

Yusuf Wally, the acting regent of Keerom, said that the Keerom
regency government was helping to evacuate people from the worst-
affected areas, and was also distributing emergency food aid,
including instant noodles and palm oil. He put the value of the
aid at Rp 160 million (US$ 17,777).

He said that the government had yet to fully assess the damage
caused by the floods.

The only fatality caused by the inundations so far was a
child, Anisa Tamnge, 2, who was swept away by a surging river
near her home in Jayapura.