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.