Pacitan Devastated by Cempaka

Tropical cyclone Cempaka “blossomed” in Pacitan, East Java, on Monday as well as in Yogyakarta and Central Java.

Kompas/Ambrosius Harto

A search and rescue team looks for four victims of a landslide in Duren subdistrict, Klesem village, Pacitan regency, East Java, on Thursday (30/11). Floods and landslides in Pacitan regency have killed 22 people and forced 7,000 out of their homes.

Tropical cyclone Cempaka “blossomed” in Pacitan, East Java, on Monday (27/11/2017), as well as in Bantul and Gunung Kidul in Yogyakarta and in Wonogiri, Central Java. The cyclone brought along extreme rainfall. The four regencies were completely laid waste by floods and landslides.

Thus far, 17 people have died from landslides and five from floods in Pacitan regency. Floods have inundated and damaged around 3,000 houses in five districts. Landslides have hit more than 100 houses in three districts. More than 7,000 have been evacuated from their homes.

This is despite Pacitan regency having developed itself as a resilient regency against tsunamis, floods, landslides, earthquakes and droughts.

Midwife Ike Yuliana of Klesem village, Kebonagung district said that her cell phone rang on Monday at 11 p.m. and she received news that a resident named Tumar from Krajan hamlet was injured after a landslide hit his house.

At the time of accident, there were seven people in Tumar’s house. They all survived despite some having sustained injuries and requiring emergency medical treatment at the village’s maternity home. They were then referred to a hospital in Pacitan. Ike was interviewed at an evacuation shelter in SDN 1 state elementary school in Klesem on Thursday (30/11).

At around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, landslides hit four villages in Kebonagung district, as well as Mlati, Arjosari, Losari and Tulakan villages in Nawangan district, killing 17 people.

Klesem village in Kebonagung district was hit the hardest. Seven died from the landslide. Houses belonging to locals Bilal and Soimin were buried. Bilal survived, but his wife Suksesi, son Rozak and parents-in-law Suparno and Kasih were buried in the incident.

As of Friday evening, a joint search-and-rescue team had yet to find them. Soimin was not at home when the disaster struck, and he was visibly shaken upon receiving news that his wife Siti Kamilah, daughter Fitri Ayu and mother Temu died from the landslide. Their bodies were recovered on Tuesday.

Duren hamlet head Imam Mameni said that the number of victims could have been larger if locals had been unprepared to rescue themselves.

“When they heard the landslide’s thunderous sound, they immediately ran out of their homes,” he said.

Disaster response volunteer Agus Triyanto in Klesem village said that phone signal and electricity were cut off on early Tuesday. However, news of the landslides in Klesem and Sidomulyo was sent to the Pacitan regency administration.

On Tuesday morning, Pacitan Deputy Regent Yudi Sumbogo came to the villages with Pacitan lawmakers, police personnel and Pacitan/0801 military district command personnel.

Burst embankment

Apart from landslides, a section of Grindulu River in Pacitan district burst through its embankment due to heavy rain and flooding on Tuesday. Access roads connecting Pacitan to Trenggalek, Ponorogo and Wonogiri were cut off. Pacitan was isolated from Tuesday to Wednesday.

Mameni and Blimbing hamlet head in Klesem village Mohamamd Tohari evacuated residents to state elementary school SDN 1 Klesem and several homes deemed safe from landslides. Locals then immediately began the search and rescue process.

“We have participated in disaster resilience training, but we have never trained others or taken part in a disaster simulation,” Mameni said.

As the access road was cut off, there was delay in sending relief to Klesem village.

Relief for evacuees reached Pacitan district two days after disaster struck. In other districts, namely Kebonagung, Tulakan and Ngadirojo, relief arrived three or four days later.

Evacuees urgently need blankets, warm clothes, ready meals, medicine, clean water, vitamins and baby supplies.

Emergency response

Pacitan Regent Indartato said that he was devastated by the floods and landslides.

Due to the large scale of the disaster, Indartato said that he had extended the emergency response period from one week to two weeks from Wednesday (29/11).

“We ask the Central Java [administration] and central government to accelerate their disaster rehabilitation efforts,” he said.

East Java Governor Soekarwo said that more floods might hit Pacitan as the rainy season is expected to continue. The burst embankment of Grindulu River must be repaired immediately. Relocation for landslide-affected residents must be planned.

“The regency provides the land, the province provides the construction materials and we hope the military can help with the construction,” Soekarwo said after visiting the disaster site in Pacitan on Friday.

V/Brawijaya regional Military Commander Maj. Gen. Arif Rahman said that he had deployed 400 personnel to help with disaster rehabilitation efforts in Pacitan.

Military personnel must work hard to search and find missing victims of floods and landslides. They must also help with disaster rehabilitation efforts. The target is to complete all rehabilitation efforts by the end of the year.