North Jakartans still wary of more floods

Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The sun may be shining and the water may be slowly draining but residents of flood-prone areas in North Jakarta are still wary of more floods.

Less rain in the past few days has meant water in many residents' houses has receded and has enabled some to return home after days in shelters.

In Tugu Selatan, many residents had already cleaned up their houses on Tuesday but continued to store their belongings in ceilings or places away from the floods' reach.

"We've cleaned our homes because we plan to sleep here tonight. However, we're still ready if more floods come in the near future. We're still packed for a possible evacuation," said Nur Asih, a resident of Community Unit 4.

Dozens of residents in Community Units 4 and 7 had sought refuge at the nearby Tugu sports stadium during last week's floods. On Sunday, the water was still up to 30 centimeters deep in the area.

There was a similar situation in Semper Barat, where residents were still considering whether to resume normal daily activities.

"We're still worried that another downpour, like the rain last night, will cause more floods," said Dedy, a resident of Community Unit 8, on Tuesday.

It was lucky the rain did not cause the nearby Cakung River to overflow and swamp houses in the area, he said.

An officer at a crisis center set up at the Semper Barat subdistrict office said he hoped the floods would end soon.

"It's very tiring having to take care of all these people and constantly monitor the situation in the field," he said.

The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency has forecast heavy rains will continue to fall until mid-March, calling on residents to be prepared for more floods.

So far, three people have died and three others are missing because of the flooding, which forced more than 13,000 people to evacuate their homes.