Flooding recedes, vigilance urged
Flooding recedes, vigilance urged
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Floods that have inundated many areas across Jakarta during the
past few days receded on Friday, but city authorities are calling
for vigilance for the duration of the rainy season.
Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso said the joint task force in charge
of helping flood victims would not be disbanded until the flood
threat was over.
"The task force, manned by 40,000 police, along with personnel
from the city agency, the military and the Red Cross and the
Search and Rescue Team, remains in place around the clock to help
flood victims," he said.
However, Sutiyoso, who announced that flooding in the capital
had reached a critical level on Wednesday has downgraded his
alert, citing data that showed floods receding in may parts of
the city.
The city flood and disaster mitigation task force, meanwhile,
said the number of flood victims in temporary shelters across the
city soared to 20,000 on Thursday, from only 8,000 on Wednesday.
Most were staying in temporary shelters, with some residents
making trips home to clean up their houses.
Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta has been the area worst
affected by the floods, with 4,420 people reportedly leaving
their homes for shelters.
The floods have also claimed two lives. Syahril, 30, a
resident of Bukit Duri in South Jakarta, died of electrocution
after he was trapped in his home, which was already engulfed by
water from the overflowing Ciliwung River. Residents also found
an unidentified man, who was drowned in the flooded area, in
Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta.
The worst flooding in the city's modern history in 2002 killed
31 people killed and left 300,000 people homeless.
The city administration has promised to use its reserve funds
of Rp 500 billion this year to help flood victims.
The Jakarta Post observed that most flood refugees in
Manggarai, South Jakarta and Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta had
returned to their homes on Friday after water levels had receded.
They were seen busily draining their homes, cleaning mud from
their possessions and removing garbage.
"This is really hard tiring work. We usually need a week to
clean up all the mess," said Surtini, a mother of two children,
who resides in Bukit Duri, South Jakarta.
Shop owners along Jl. Jatinegara Barat were also seen
salvaging merchandise, much of which had been ruined by flooding.
Police have opened the fast lane of the road for traffic,
while the slow lanes were still occupied by temporary tents for
the flood victims.
Many flood victims said they would not move yet from their
temporary shelters because they feared more floods.
"That's why we have not yet returned to our homes. It's safer
for us to stay at temporary shelters," said Yati, whose home was
still partly submerged in water.
Yati was forced to shorten her holiday in Semarang, Central
Java, because of the floods.