Refugees begin to go home as floods recede
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Floods that devastated Central Java's northern coastal areas in Kudus, Pati and Demak regencies began to recede on Sunday, prompting many refugees, who had been stuck at several makeshift accommodation centers, to return home.
The 12 kilometers of road leading to and from the Central Java capital of Semarang, which had earlier been cut off due to flooding, were reopened only to buses and trucks or other large vehicles.
The level of floodwater there reduced from 60 centimeters (cm) on Saturday to 20 cm to 40 cm on Sunday.
The worst-affected area was Guyangan village in Pati, where floodwater reached a depth of 40 cm.
"But the traffic there has gradually started flowing, even though it has to move slowly," Amlis Chaniago, a police officer in Pati, told The Jakarta Post.
He said dozens of police personnel were still stationed at alternative routes to guide motorists heading to or from Semarang.
Head of the national unity and people's protection office in Central Java Prayitno told The Post that most of the 4,900 refugees had returned home and cleaned up their houses, which had been subject to flooding.
"A few hundred of them are still at emergency shelters like the local legislature building and the subdistrict office," he said.
In Kudus, about 3,600 villagers were still homeless and were staying at 16 refugee camps located in six subdistricts of Jati, Undaan, Mejobo, Kaliwungu, Jekulo and Kudus.
Floodwater at their submerged villages deceased from 250 cm on Friday to 175 cm on Sunday.
A herdsman, Sabari, and his cow, were killed after being struck by lightening in Kudus, while another person was found dead at Wedung village in Demak. He had been drowned in the Gelis river on Thursday.
Two other victims were a three-year-old baby, Zomah Lisparmi, and 10-year-old Nur Arif, who were killed in separate landslides.
Kudus Regent Amin Munadjat said the one-week-long floods had caused Rp 22 billion in losses to his regency and to local residents.
Meanwhile, in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), at least one person died after rains and storms hit Pualo Alor regency last week, paralyzing sea and land transportation and destroying several public facilities.
Legislator Fidelis Tua Tolang said, in Pualo Alor on Saturday night, that local residents had chosen to remain at home, adding that the storms produced large waves of up to four meters in height.
The destruction caused losses of around Rp 8 billion, local officials said.
In Bali, around 600 fishermen from the Benoa coastal area were forced to remain at port since Cyclone Chris swept waters off the resort island and NTT last week.
"Since the tropical cyclone swept the region, we have been prohibited by seaport chiefs and ship owners from sailing due to the bad weather," Sudarno, a fishing boat captain in Benoa, told Antara on Sunday.
He could not say when he and his colleagues could resume fishing as the weather remained bad.