Floods wreak havoc among Jakartans

Floods wreak havoc among Jakartans

JAKARTA (JP): A senior scholar lost his collection of books, a
woman almost delivered her baby on a rooftop and a family
canceled their plan to return to their home village for the
coming holiday.

Yet, the flood that struck Jakarta yesterday had positive
moments in the solidarity shown among its victims and in the
opportunity some young boys found to earn money by helping push
cars which broke down in the water.

Mochtar Buchori, a retired researcher of the Indonesian
Institute of Science (LIPI), said he managed to save his computer
and television, but he may have lost his collection of books.

"This has never happened to us before. And the location of our
house is pretty high," said Mochtar, who lives in the LIPI
housing complex just off Jl. Gatot Subroto.

"The water reached to my knees. I just had to move my things
because it kept rising. I don't know what happened to my books."

He said his son-in-law had just bought a car and put it in his
garage. "We had to push it out through the water."

With flooding sweeping across the city, official assistance
was hard and slow to come by.

In Pondok Karya in South Jakarta, Mrs. Syamsul who was due to
deliver her child and an aging and ailing Marsidi had to wait for
long hours on their rooftops before a dinghy came to pick them
up. The water reached three meters high in that area.

Surono, 40, and his wife and three children, had intended to
take the train to their home village in Central Java from Kota
station. They could not even get to the station.

"We're just heading back home. Although we've already paid for
the ticket," he said.

Fatimah, a resident of Jl. Kebalen in South Jakarta, hugged
other women the moment she stepped off the dinghy and cried out
loud, saying she had to endure long hours waiting for help all
alone because her husband was out of town.

"Cry. We all cried," said another woman. "My home was once
used to accommodate flood victims. Now I'm the one who is seeking
a shelter," she said in disbelief. "Maybe I'll settle for the
mosque."

The gotong royong (mutual help) spirit was most apparent in
this area as some creative residents used banana trunks as floats
to carry women and old people out of harm's reach. They were also
collecting what dry clothes they could salvage from some of the
homes.

With the aid of the banana trunks, some of the people also
picked ripening rambutan fruit which was easily reached because
they were floating three meters high under the trees.

"Not bad for the breaking of the fast," commented a woman.

Residents in the Kampung Melayu area had barely forgotten the
trauma of last month's flood when the Ciliwung river overflowed
once again.

This time they were better prepared. Most had already
evacuated to safe ground, although many only sent their children.

"The last time, we all had to go to the rooftop. We even slept
there," said Marsiah, a resident of Kebon Baru subdistrict.

Yesterday, the water reached knee level.

Small traders who live on makeshift huts along the embankment
simply watched the water rising.

"I'm too lazy to work today. My cart and its contents are
already inundated. Besides, I don't think anyone is going to come
to the market today," said one trader. (team)