Floods Widen in Padang City, Residents Evacuated by Boat
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has stated that joint team personnel are evacuating flood survivors in Padang City, West Sumatra, using boats as floodwaters expand.
Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Centre Abdul Muhari reported in Jakarta on Monday that the flooding occurred after high-intensity or very heavy rain fell over the Padang City area from 11.00 to 17.00 WIB.
“The long-duration heavy rain triggered water overflow that inundated residential areas and main roads at several points. Responding to these conditions, the Padang City Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) joint team deployed polyethylene boats to evacuate residents to safe locations,” he said.
Abdul explained that according to data from the Padang City BPBD, the flooding has currently impacted three sub-districts: Kuranji, Koto Tangah, and Bungus Teluk Kabung. In Kuranji District, the affected areas include Lapau Munggu Village, Wahana Complex, Kampung Tanjung, and Pasar Lalang, up to Gunung Sarik.
The BNPB Operations Control Directorate confirmed field reports that the strong flood currents on the roads swept away several residents’ motor vehicles.
According to Abdul, as of this evening, rain was still falling over parts of Padang and the floodwaters in several areas had not yet shown signs of receding, while the data collection on casualties and losses is ongoing.
“Residents in vulnerable areas are urged to continue monitoring official information from the local government and BPBD and to immediately follow the instructions of officers if evacuation is required for collective safety,” he said.
This preparedness aligns with an extreme weather early warning previously issued by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG). The BMKG Directorate of Meteorology detected the emergence of Tropical Cyclone Seed 94W in the Philippine Sea, which has the potential to trigger increased heavy rainfall in several regions, particularly warranting caution across most of western Sumatra for the period of 3-5 August.