Floods inundate schools, hospital in Banyumas
Floods inundate schools, hospital in Banyumas
Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purwokerto
Heavy rain on Tuesday worsened flooding in Banyumas, one of
the areas in Central Java badly affected by floods.
Fourteen villages in three districts of Tambak, Kemranjen and
Sumpyuh, were again inundated by water, forcing 2,500 people to
seek shelter in drier areas.
Floods also affected three villages in the Banyumas district,
with a total of 325 houses inundated with water. Floodwaters
reached a depth of between 30 centimeters to one meter.
The fresh floods in Banyumas district also inundated Banyumas
General Hospital in downtown Banyumas.
However, the flooding at the hospital soon subsided, and
therefore, no patients were evacuated.
Because of the worsening floods in the regency, elementary
school children whose schools were flooded were temporarily
transferred to other schools that were still functioning.
Students from state elementary school II Plangkaan in Tambak
district joined students at state elementary school I Plangkaan,
about one kilometer away.
Meanwhile, students from Nusadadi elementary school had to
travel to school by canoe and raft to attend Sampiuh elementary
school VI, about 45 minutes away.
Consequently, students had fewer hours in school to give the
chance to students from other schools to use their facilities.
"I'm sad about the situation. We have had to reduce school
hours. If flooding continues in Nusadadi in the next few days, we
might send teachers to that village," said Banyumas regent Aris
Setiono when visiting Sampiuh elementary school VI.
Aris said his administration continued to send food and
medicine to flood victims.
"We send them food every day and at mealtimes, using rubber
dinghies," he said.
Meanwhile floods subsided in Cilacap regency, with flood
victims able to return to their homes.
The Cilacap administration plans to relocate a total of 2,000
families, comprising 7,600 people, living in seven flood-prone
villages in Sidareja district, to Kunci village.
The relocation will take place early next year, using funding
from the local budget and aid from the Ministry of Manpower and
Transmigration as well as from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
"We hope people from other flood-prone villages will also join
the relocation to Kunci village," said Cilacap administration
spokesman Gatot Arif.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta announced on Tuesday it
would provide an additional US$25,000 in emergency assistance to
flood victims in Central Java.
The funds will be channeled through Catholic Relief Services,
who will work together with the local delegation of the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the
Indonesian Red Cross.
The U.S. has provided more than $23 million to date in
humanitarian aid to Indonesia this year to help victims of
natural disasters and to help internally displaced people.