Khofifah ensures rapid response to flood damage in Probolinggo
Probolinggo, East Java — East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa, together with Probolinggo Regent M. Haris, confirmed the effectiveness of the rapid response for residents affected by flooding in Probolinggo Regency during a visit to affected areas in Kraksaan Sub-district on Monday.
“The East Java Provincial Government is moving swiftly alongside the entire Probolinggo Regency administration to ensure the safety of residents and accelerate post-flood recovery,” Khofifah said in Probolinggo.
High-intensity rainfall caused rivers to overflow and inundate residential areas, with several sub-districts submerged including Kraksaan, Besuk, Krejengan, Gading, Kotaanyar and Pakuniran.
Based on preliminary data from 21–22 February 2026, the number of affected households was recorded as follows: Kraksaan 810 households, Krejengan 264 households, Gading 11 households, Besuk 23 households, Kotaanyar 14 households and Pakuniran 100 households.
As an emergency response measure, the Governor deployed the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the Public Works Highways Agency and the Public Works Water Resources Agency in coordination with the military and police as well as the regency administration to conduct field assessments documenting damage to homes, public facilities, places of worship and educational infrastructure affected by floodwaters.
“Together with the Probolinggo Regent, we are mapping the damage — whether minor, moderate or severe — as the basis for determining intervention priorities,” she said.
Khofifah said the provincial government brought a comprehensive team comprising bridge construction specialists, river management experts and post-disaster reconstruction and rehabilitation crews, ensuring the response focuses not only on short-term measures but also on medium and long-term solutions.
“In the short term, priorities are directed towards meeting the basic needs of affected residents, accelerating debris clearance, and repairing road and bridge access,” she said.
She added that an immediate short-term step must be ensuring the cleaning of homes, as residents will be observing the fasting month and preparing for Eid al-Fitr.
For the medium and long term, the East Java Provincial Government will push for river normalisation, strengthening of embankments on both sides of rivers, and reorganisation of river confluence points that are prone to overflow.
“River normalisation does require a substantial budget and its results are not always as visibly apparent as building a school or a market, but it is a crucial investment in reducing the risk of recurring floods,” she said.
Additionally, she continued, repairs and adjustments to the construction of provincial bridges would also be carried out taking into account the terrain and water discharge levels, in order to improve infrastructure resilience against potential flooding in the future.
Meanwhile, Probolinggo Regent M. Haris said the regency administration continues to work directly among affected communities through a disaster management strategy under the BPBD tagline “Gercep Sae” (Rapid Response, Integrated, Sub-district and Village-Based).
“Each sub-district has a Disaster Command Post, and the sub-district leadership forums are conducting continuous intensive coordination. We will focus on minimising the damage caused by the flooding,” he said.