Monsoon starts taking its toll

The Jakarta Globe, January 15, 2014.


Manado Floods Kill One, Displace 2,000 ,

Heavy rains yesterday and today triggered flash floods in Manado and surrounding areas, killing at least one person, displacing 2,000 more and destroying four bridges.

“More than 2,000 people have sought refuge in safer places,” National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in on Wednesday. “Dozens of cars have been inundated or washed away by floods.”

The North Sulawesi capital saw heavy showers since Tuesday evening, causing floods across its 11 subdistricts, according to the BNPB.

Rains also triggered floods and landslides in the neighboring district of Minahasa, where a person was found dead after a landslide buried 10 houses in Kembes village. Another person was declared missing.

Sutopo said water levels were as high as six meters in some areas along riverbanks and that the downtown area was under 1.5 meters.

“Four bridges collapsed,” Sutopo said. “Rains are still falling right now.”

Some people were trapped in their homes, he said, adding that evacuations remained underway, with the police, the military and volunteers working together.

Refugees have taken shelter at the Swissbell Hotel, the Tengunpura Hotell and the mayor’s office, among other places.

Sutopo said winds blew at high speeds in Manado during the downpours, between 15 and 20 knots, while waves reached five meters off the coast.

“Satellite images show that there are still a lot of clouds above North Sulawesi,” he said. “The potential for flooding remains pretty high.”


Drenching Rains Continue as 5 Die in Jakarta Floods ,

Widespread flooding across Jakarta continued on Wednesday as torrential rains poured down on the nation’s capitol, leaving eighteen urban wards under as much as 1.5 meters of water.

Four people have reportedly died so far in the deluge, according to state-run Antara News Agency: a resident of Bidara Cina in Jatinegara and a resident of neighboring Kampung Melayu, both of whom died on Monday due to unrelated illnesses because they could not make it to a hospital to receive treatment; Asep, 27, a resident of Bintaro, who drowned; and Fatimah, 9, a resident of Duri Kosambi, West Jakarta, who died after falling into an exposed drainage gutter.

A fifth victim — Zulfikar, 22, a resident of Prumpung Sawah, East Jakarta — was found flouting in the Ciliwung river under the Kampung Melayu bridge, according to Indonesian news portal Kompas.com.

“Earlier, the floods were in 31 urban wards — it has been decreasing to 18 urban wards,” said Basuki Rakhmat, a division head at the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD Jakarta). “There are still 2,761 people living in 20 shelters, [and there were] previously around 26,000 refugees.”

The worst hit regions remain Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta and Rawabuaya, Kembangan Utara, Kedoya Selatan and Kapuk in West Jakarta.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) predicted that rains of moderate to severe intensity would continued to hit Jakarta and the surrounding region through Thursday night.

Agency head Prabowo said that a poorly timed tidal surge had worsened the flooding.

“Coincidentally, the new moon, from Jan. 13 to 16, led to potential tides between moderate and high,” Prabowo said, according to Antara.

Deputy Jakarta Govenor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama said that the floods this year were not worse than last year’s.

“In the past, even a half-day of heavy rain would inundate Thamrin and Sudirman,” he said, as quoted by Antara. “But now, the rain goes for days, but no floods at all [on those streets].”

He said that the Jakarta government has provided new pumps which had improved the situation.

“This is because the system has been running well,” he said, adding that flooding had been prevented in Mangga Dua, Ancol aqnd Pademangan.



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The Jakarta Globe, January 15, 2014.


At least 13 people have been killed and 40,000 have fled their homes after torrential rain triggered flash floods and landslides on Indonesia’s northern Sulawesi island, officials said Thursday.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho described the flash floods as “massive,” adding the rains had also triggered numerous landslides across the mountainous region.

“Thirteen people were killed, two are missing and 40,000 people have been evacuated,” he said.

The North Sulawesi capital saw heavy showers since Tuesday evening, causing floods across its 11 subdistricts, according to the BNPB.

Rains also triggered floods and landslides in the neighboring district of Minahasa, where a person was found dead after a landslide buried 10 houses in Kembes village. Another person was declared missing.

Sutopo said water levels were as high as six meters in some areas along riverbanks and that the downtown area was under 1.5 meters.

“Four bridges collapsed,” Sutopo said on Wednesday. “Rains are still falling right now.”

Some people were trapped in their homes, he said, adding that evacuations remained underway, with the police, the military and volunteers working together.

Refugees have taken shelter at the Swissbell Hotel, the Tengunpura Hotell and the mayor’s office, among other places.

Sutopo said winds blew at high speeds in Manado during the downpours, between 15 and 20 knots, while waves reached five meters off the coast.

“Satellite images show that there are still a lot of clouds above North Sulawesi,” he said. “The potential for flooding remains pretty high.”



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The Jakarta Globe, January 16, 2014.


Social Affairs Minister Salim Segaf Al-Jufri on Thursday announced that his ministry would send Rp 5 billion ($415,000) to help the victims of floods that have struck Manado in recent days, which have left 15 people dead and forced 40,000 people to flee their homes.

“In our reserve fund, we have around Rp 4 billion to Rp 5 billion,” Salim said before attending a cabinet meeting at the State Palace with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The Social Affairs Ministry had a budget of Rp 400 billion for disaster management, he said, 80 percent of which was reserved for aid — including tents, rubber boats and relief kitchens.

He added that the ministry would be on a state of emergency for the next fortnight.

The North Sulawesi provincial government has turned the Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) building into a refuge for flood victims, and council speaker Meiva Salindeho Lintang said that at least 400 people had taken shelter there.

Yudhoyono, during his opeing remarks of the Cabinet meeting, urged all agencies to work to minimize the damage and loss of life.

“The government must be more ready to anticipate disasters,” the president said.

He also called on the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) to keep the State Palace up to date with weather outlooks.



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