Jakarta crisis center ready to handle floods

Jakarta crisis center ready to handle floods

Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta Operation Coordination Board (Satkorlak) for Disaster
Mitigation is now fully prepared to handle floods in the capital,
according to one agency worker.

"At least three of us will be on duty around the clock to
monitor the situation and do field checks," said Arsudireni
Ronny, an on-call task force monitor.

The board -- chaired by Governor Sutiyoso himself and
coordinated by the City Public Order Agency head Soebagio -- is
responsible for handling natural disasters, particularly floods
that annually cripple the capital.

Ronny explained that the monitoring task force would be
responsible for collecting information on the latest situation in
flood-prone areas and making full reports for further action and
coordination.

The task force monitors will make phone calls every two hours
to people manning the eight main sluice gates -- Pesanggrahan,
Angke Hulu and Krukut Hulu in West Jakarta, Sunter Hulu in North
Jakarta, Karet in Central Jakarta, Manggarai in South Jakarta,
Pulogadung in East Jakarta and Depok -- to gauge the water
levels. They will also get regular updates on the high and low
tides in the Java Sea, which have a great impact on the ability
of the water to flow freely out sea.

They also communicate regularly with the five municipality
administrations to get the latest on flooded areas.

"If the telephone lines are down, we can use our two-band
radios," Ronny said, adding that the task force also monitors
radio stations and share information with Jakarta Police.

A disaster mitigation expert from the Agency for the
Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) had earlier urged
the administration to disseminate flood information via radio and
television in the absence of a proper early warning system.

The general public is also encouraged to make reports on
floods to the center's 24-hour hotline number 382-2011.

Ronny said that the task force, involving 40,000 people from
the administration, police and different organizations, would be
deployed to the flooded areas if all means of communication
failed. The task force did rehearsals in Cengkareng, West
Jakarta, last November.

However, he had no knowledge of how the board would handle
severe malfunctions in the capital, particularly primary
infrastructure such as roads and power lines during a major
calamity.

The administration had earlier requested Rp 200 billion
(US$23.8 million) to set up a crisis center but the city budget
now only calls for Rp 15 billion for the center.

If there is an emergency, the city will use its 113 rubber
dinghies and the number can increase if the National Police and
the Indonesian Military help by deploying their 19 and 105
dinghies, respectively. The administration has also designated
places for 242 public kitchens and refugee camps near flood-prone
areas.

Most Jakartans strongly criticized city officials for their
late and/or lack of a response when the Great Jakarta Flood of
2002 hit, killing at least 30 people and forcing more than
300,000 to seek refuge.