Storm damages 55 houses

JAMBI: Gale force winds hit Pangkalduri subdistrict in East Tanjungjabung regency here on Monday, leaving 55 houses seriously damaged. Several people were injured but no fatalities were reported as yet. The injured residents are now being treated at home.

In order to help the victims, the government has set up a health post and public kitchen near the destroyed houses, said a government official in East Tanjungjabung regency, Chairil Anwar. The government has also dispatched instants noodle and mineral water, said Chairil without going into details.

The area, some 100 kilometers east of Jambi city, Jambi provincial capital, is a swampy area so that clean water is difficult to obtain. -- JP