4 yıl önce

Heavy flooding in Indonesia forces over 1,000 to flee their homes

Indonesia’s meteorology agency warns the heaviest monsoon rains of the season will fall in and around the densely populated capital in the coming days.

AP

Residents use a cork material as a raft to make their way through a flooded street following heavy rains, February 20, 2021 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Severe flooding across several areas in the Indonesia's capital Jakarta has forced more than 1,000 people to flee their homes, with the country’s meteorology agency warning the heavy monsoon rains are set to continue into next week.

Some 1,380 residents were evacuated from southern and eastern areas of the city, home to 10 million people, after floodwaters reached up to 1.8 meters high in some areas, said Sabdo Kurnianto, the acting head of Jakarta's disaster mitigation agency in a statement.

He said no casualties had been reported.

Moderate/high rainfall has led to rising water levels in Jakarta and surrounding districts & cities.

Indonesia #Redcross volunteers in Bekasi City are evacuating flood victims affected by #COVID19 to the Bekasi City Hospital.

#Redcross: Saving lives, helping humanity! pic.twitter.com/ylYaQTi6ED
— IFRC Asia Pacific (@IFRCAsiaPacific) February 20, 2021

Cars submerged

People posted photos on social media of residents wading through shoulder-high muddy waters, cars almost entirely submerged, and search teams evacuating elderly residents in rubber dinghies in the peak of the monsoon season.

"Two hundred neighbourhoods have been affected, according to the latest data," Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan told local television early on Saturday, adding that more than two dozen evacuation centres have been prepared across the city.

"The rain has stopped, but water from other areas is still affecting Jakarta.

Hopefully it won’t hit the city centre and when the water recedes people can resume their activities."

Flood in Jakarta. In Kemang area, a popular street among expatriates, water has submerged cars #BanjirJakarta https://t.co/DNpRAiVXav
— Andreas Harsono (@andreasharsono) February 20, 2021

Peak time of rains

The floods come at a time when Indonesia is already grappling with the highest caseload and death tally from Covid-19 in Southeast Asia and an economic recession.

Indonesia’s meteorology agency (BMKG) has warned the heaviest rain of the season may fall in and around the densely populated capital in the coming days, with extreme weather, including heavy rain, thunder and strong winds, expected throughout next week.

"These are critical times that we need to be aware of," said Dwikorita Karnawati, the head of BMKG.

"Jakarta and its surrounding areas are still in the peak period of the rainy season, which is estimated to continue until the end of February or early March."

The BMKG said Jakarta would be on alert for the next four days with data from the meteorology agency showing intense rainfall in the past 24 hours with the area of Pasar Minggu, in Jakarta’s south, recording 226 millimetres of rain since Friday.

SOURCE: Reuters