Flores death toll rises as aid starts flowing in

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang, Jakarta

Rescuers found the bodies of at least 50 people in their fourth day of searching for survivors since major landslides and floods hit regencies on the island of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara on Monday.

"It's quite likely that the number of fatalities will rise," said Stanis Tefa, the secretary of East Nusa Tenggara disaster and refugee post in the province's capital Kupang. "Local rescue teams, the police and military personnel have had difficulties finding the victims due to limited equipment."

He said the regency of Ende recorded the highest death toll with 39 casualties, 29 of whom were residents of the Ndona district. In the regency of East Flores 10 people died, all of whom were residents of the Lahayong subdistrict. The Sikka regency saw six people dead, and Ngada two people.

Outside Flores, in the East Nusa Tenggara capital Kupang one person died. Stanis said another 12 residents were still missing.

Heavy rain over the past week led to landslides and floods, submerging the districts of Larantuka, Lohayong and Posto in East Flores.

The disaster caused extensive damage to hundreds of houses and thousands of hectares of rice fields and plantations. Stanis said hundreds of cattle were killed. Two bridges connecting the west and east of Flores were also destroyed, he added. "We estimate losses running into the billions of rupiah."

The disaster paralyzed Flores land transportation, said Djami Rebo, the head of the province's housing and infrastructure office.

"It's worst in Ende and East Flores, because there the water distribution network and the electricity network are severely damaged," he said.

Head of the local Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG), Hendri Subakti warned of worse storms in the coming days.

"The wind speed in the region of NTT (East Nusa Tenggara) could reach between 50 knots to 70 knots per hour and ocean waves could rise by more than two meters in the Sabu sea, the Timor sea and the Indian Ocean south of Sumba island," Hendri said.

Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla said he would visit Flores this Saturday. He said the government had sent a team from the National Disaster Management Coordination Board (Bakornas) to help the victims.

Financial aid has already been disbursed for the hundreds of homeless victims to purchase food and other basic supplies, he said.

"The central government through Bakornas, in cooperation with the East Nusa Tenggara administration has removed the victims from the location," Jusuf added as quoted by Antara.