Tropical storm to continue

SURABAYA: A tropical storm, which hit East Java and several parts of the country recently, may continue over the next three days, an official said on Tuesday.

"Based on the weather forecasts, the wind will blow more strongly in Indonesia at this time of the year," Triadi, head of local office of the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, said.

The Agency's station in Juanda has issued an "alert" status for all kinds of flights, especially for Cassa planes that usually fly at an average of 10,000 feet as the weather is unpredictable, Juanda station's official Zainal Arifin said.

"For big planes such as Airbus and Boeing, the secure altitude to fly in these strong winds is about 20,000 to 30,000 feet," he said.

In Gresik, many ships have had to halt their operations due to rough seas and high tides, while in Madura, trees have fallen down on roads due to the strong winds.

In Bondowoso, the storm damaged 35 houses and killed a local resident, while in Situbondo it destroyed 89 houses and forced hundreds of residents to flee. (edt/nur)