Indonesia: Strong winds damage dozens of homes

The Jakarta Post 27 Jan 16;

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) have urged residents to brace for strong winds over the next four days, up until Friday.

Budi Iman Samiaji of the Padang BMKG said West Sumatra, especially coastal areas, was potentially at risk of strong winds over the next five days, starting Monday.

The strong winds on Monday, ranging from 30 to 40 kilometers per hour, hit parts of West Sumatra, including Padang city, for seven hours without stopping. The winds toppled dozens of trees and blew away the roofs of homes and schools in a number of areas.

Padang city and Padang Pariaman, Payakumbuh, Pesisir Selatan, West Pasaman and Agam regencies all suffered damage on account of the weather. In Padang, more then 20 trees were uprooted in a number of locations. The fallen trees blocked roads and hit a school. The roofs of homes and schools were also blown away by the winds.