Tropical storm to continue

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)