Dead Toll Rises

KOMPAS/RHAMA PURNA JATI

Floodwaters up to 2 meters high inundate a number of areas on Sunday (4/28/2019) in Bengkulu city, Bengkulu province. Many residents were displaced because their homes were submerged. The Bengkulu provincial administration said at least 10 people were killed or missing in the flooding, which also triggered landslides, and estimated losses of Rp 138 billion in damaged infrastructure.

BENGKULU, KOMPAS — The number of victims killed in the landslide and flooding disaster in Bengkulu had increased to 17 people by Sunday night (4/28/2019), and nine others are missing. Search and rescue (SAR) efforts continue as help arrives.

The victims came from Bengkulu municipality and Central Bengkulu regency, with the latest victims a family in Kertapati village, Central Bengkulu. Another victim was found in Bentiring village of Muara Bengkulu district, Bengkulu municipality.

“The [SAR] personnel are still identifying [victims] in the field,” Bengkulu Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) emergency response head Indi Sastra Wijaya said on Sunday. The latest data showed that five people were missing in the regencies of Kaur (1), Central Bengkulu (1) and South Bengkulu (3).

Bengkulu Governor Rohidin Mersyah said landslides and floods had hit eight areas: Bengkulu municipality, Central Bengkulu, South Bengkulu, Kepahiang, Rejang Lebong, Lebong, North Bengkulu and Kaur. “The floods and landslides affected 13,000 people, while 12,000 people were displaced,” said Rohidin.

The disaster also caused severe damage to 184 houses, and a number of roads and bridges were either damaged or submerged. “There are 15 locations with damaged bridges and 14 locations where roads are closed due to flooding,” he said, while several villages had been cut off.

The Bengkulu provincial administration was unable to handle the impacts of the disaster alone. “Financially, it is highly unlikely that Bengkulu [is capable of managing the disaster]. We need help from the central government,” Rohidin said, adding that the province only had Rp 5 billion in available funds for disaster management.

National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) head Doni Monardo handed over Rp 2.5 billion in aid on Sunday evening. The funds are to be distributed to eight districts and one municipality affected by the disaster. “As for its use, it is up to the regional administrations,” said Doni.

Major flooding yesterday also hit parts of Manado, North Sulawesi, cause by 14 hours of rain that had fallen since early Sunday morning. Hundreds of people were displaced.

Floods of 1-2 meters high were reported in a number of residential areas near the Tondano River, including Ternate Baru, Ternate Tanjung and Mahawu. Floodwaters also inundated Lingkungan IV Mahawu in Tuminting, causing 322 people to flee the residential area, located less than 15 meters from the river.

In Central Kalimantan, floods hit Tewah subdistrict in Gunung Mas regency. A number of roads were submerged in water 40-60 centimeters deep. Muhammad Rusdi, 30, a resident of Tewah in Tewah subdistrict, said the flooding had started on Friday evening. “It rained day and night, so small rivers overflowed. The drains also overflowed,” he said.

Palangkaraya Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) weather forecaster Renianata said that high intensity rainfall would continue for the next two days.

Moving east

BMKG meteorology deputy Mulyono R. Prabowo said that heavy rains were still likely to continue until the first week of May. After raining heavily for the past week in western Indonesia, high rainfall was forecast to shift to central Indonesia, and then towards the east. “The potential for heavy rain will continued from the end of April to early May,” he said.

The heavy rain in Indonesia is caused by the wet phase of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). In addition, whirlwinds have been spotted over the Celebes Sea, Makassar Strait, West Kalimantan and the South China Sea to the north of Kalimantan.

BMKG climate and air quality information head Siswanto added that heavy rains were more likely in central Indonesia as the MJO moved east.  (RAM/OKA/IDO/AIK)