Moments When Periuk Damai Residents Struck by Flash Floods, Water Arrives Without Warning During Suhoor

Tangerang, Banten — Residents of Periuk Damai housing estate in Tangerang, Banten, recounted their panic when floods suddenly struck their area as some residents were eating suhoor (pre-dawn meal) on Sunday, 9 March 2026 at approximately 4:00 AM.

The water reportedly arrived suddenly with no prior warning signs and immediately rose to submerge the residential area. “We were eating suhoor when the water suddenly came in high. Everyone was shocked,” said Heri (45), one of the affected residents, when met by Kompas.com at the location on Monday, 9 March 2026.

As a result of the floods, Heri’s two-storey house had nearly its entire first floor submerged with water reaching a height of approximately four metres. Various household items were swept away, including mattresses, wardrobes, chairs, and electronic appliances such as refrigerators and televisions.

Currently, Heri, along with his wife and two children, remain on the second floor of their house as the floodwaters have not yet receded. He also mentioned that the electrical supply in the area has been cut off since the floods occurred. “We still have clean water, but the electricity has been completely off since yesterday,” he said.

Another resident, Rifky (25), stated that this flood is the worst compared to previous incidents. According to him, water levels at various points reached three to five metres, with some houses almost completely submerged, leaving only their roofs exposed.

Rifky, who has lived in Periuk Damai housing estate for 21 years, said that floods in the area typically occur approximately once every five years. However, in 2026, the floods came more severely than expected. When the floods occurred, Rifky was at work and only became aware of the situation at approximately 7:00 AM when water levels were already very high.

He and his family then evacuated to Al Jihad mosque located near the residential area. According to Rifky, floods in Periuk Damai usually take several days to recede. “At the fastest, four to five days, sometimes it can take up to a week to recede,” he said.

He hopes the government can implement more concrete measures to prevent floods from continuing to occur repeatedly in the area. “Hopefully in the future there will be no more floods, with concrete action from the government,” he said.