Storm forecast spooks Yogya residents
Storm forecast spooks Yogya residents
Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
The provincial government and residents along the southern coastal of Yogyakarta are preparing for the worst following an announcement by officials that a storm is heading for the area.
Government officials are preparing emergency shelters in the areas expected to be affected, while residents and fishermen are preparing to take refuge in safer places.
Residents said that there had been natural warnings that a storm may hit the area in the very near future. In Gunung Kidul regency, a very high tide some four meters high on Sunday ruined parts of Parangracuk hill on the Gunung Kidul shoreline. On Trisik beach, Kulonprogo regency, the abnormally high tide penetrated far inland and caused flooding at a fish trading center located some 500 meters from the beach.
Weather at sea has apparently been getting hotter since Saturday.
Purwanto, 36, a resident of Srigading subdistrict, Bantul regency, said that he and his family would take refuge at his relative's house in Bogor, West Java, on Monday for safety.
"Just consider it a family visit. We will spend a couple of days there," said Purwanto.
Similarly, residents in Baron beach, Gunung Kidul regency, have also anticipated a worst-case scenario. Shops and the hawker center along the beach have been deserted since Saturday as owners and staff evacuate.
Boats were hardly to be seen along the beach with most fishermen relocating them to their houses inland. "None of fishermen dare go to sea," said Totok Suharyanto, a subdistrict official at Kemaceng subdistrict, Gunung Kidul regency.
Governments in Kulonprogo and Bantul regencies have prepared emergency shelters near beach areas in anticipation of flooding in the wake of the expected storm.
Meanwhile, Suwondo, the head of Wonosari subdistrict, Gunung Kidul regency, said that the subdistrict had gathered data on caves that could be used by residents to shelter from the storm. "Caves are the safest place for people in storms," said Suwondo.
The precautionary measures were taken by the governments and residents following an announcement by the Yogyakarta provincial government and the Meteorology and Geophysics Office (BMG) that a storm would soon strike the region.
The storm is currently in Australian waters and is expected to move towards Indonesia by the middle of February, BMG said.
The forecast has sparked apprehension as large numbers of people will be traveling in the coming days due to Chinese and Islamic New Year holidays on Wednesday and Thursday.