Indonesia: Emergency status declared in Yogyakarta amid floods and landslides

Bambang Muryanto The Jakarta Post 30 Nov 17;

Yogyakarta Governor Hamengkubuwono has declared a state of emergency following several days of flooding, landslides and strong winds that have claimed five lives. The status will be in place until Jan. 30.

“Emergency funds will be disbursed to assist evacuees,” the governor said during a visit to residential areas affected by landslides in Tegal Panggung subdistrict, Yogyakarta, on Thursday.

The province was hit with stormy weather earlier this week following the formation of a tropical cyclone on the southern coast of Java.

Meanwhile, Yogyakarta Mayor Haryadi Suyuti said the municipality had allocated Rp 2 billion (US$ 140,000) to provide aid to evacuees.

The cyclone has caused landslides and flooding in Yogyakarta city, Sleman, Bantul, Gunungkidul and Kulon Progo regencies. (rin)


Yogyakarta declares emergency alert status following natural disasters
Antara 29 Nov 17;

Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - The Yogyakarta Special Autonomous Provincial Administration has declared an emergency alert status following natural disasters, such as floods, landslides, and whirlwinds, that hit the region.

The National Meteorological, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency had reported that extreme weather will continue for three days, but Yogyakarta has declared an emergency status for a week, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, the governor of Yogyakarta, stated here, Wednesday.

The decision to declare the emergency status was taken during a coordination meeting on disaster mitigation attended by officials of the Yogyakarta disaster mitigation office.

By declaring the emergency status, district and provincial authorities could use the reserve funds for disaster mitigation efforts.

Krido Suprayitno, head of the Yogyakarta disaster mitigation office, noted that the extreme weather was triggered by the Cempaka tropical cyclone.

The Yogyakarta finance office has allocated Rp14 billion for disaster mitigation efforts.

According to data from Yogyakarta city`s disaster mitigation office, landslides hit nine locations and whirlwinds also affected nine locations, claiming the lives of three residents.

In Bantul District, whirlwinds struck 67 locations, landslides occurred in 45 sites, and floods ravaged 31 locations, affecting 4,756 people and claiming one life.

In Kulon Progo, 20 locations were hit by whirlwinds, 27 by landslides, and six by floods, affecting 58 people, injuring three, and leading to two others going missing.

In Gunung Kidul District, one person died, two were injured, and 3,276 others affected by whirlwinds, landslides, and floods.

In Sleman District, 214 people were affected by hydrological disasters that frequently occurred during the rainy season.

Reported by Luqman Hakim
(f001/INE)
(T.SYS/B/KR-BSR/B/H-YH)
Editor: Heru Purwanto


4 die as extreme weather hits Wonogiri
Ganug Nugroho Adi The Jakarta Post 30 Nov 17;

Four people died amid flooding and landslides in Tirtomoyo and Manyaran districts in Wonogiri, Central Java, on Wednesday.

Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) personnel and search and rescue (SAR) volunteers have recovered the bodies of the victims. “Two victims were found in Tirtomoyo while two others were discovered in Manyaran,” SAR Wonogiri operations division head Ashari Mursito Wisnu told The Jakarta Post.

Two victims identified as Aditya, 15, and Painem, 56, died after they were dragged by floodwaters that swept Batusari village, Manyaran. Two victims buried by a landslide have yet to be identified.

Separately, BPBD Wonogiri head Bambang Haryanto said around 2,000 Wonogiri residents across 14 districts were forced to leave their homes as high intensity rains hit the area from Tuesday morning until Wednesday, causing several rivers to overflow and inundate their surrounding areas.

“Fourteen of 18 districts in Wonogiri were hit by flooding,” Bambang said.

On Tuesday, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) urged people, especially those in Java, to be on alert over the potential of extreme natural events in the next three days related to a tropical cyclone called Cempaka, which had formed on the south coast of Java on Monday.

BMKG head Mulyono Rahadi Prabowo said on Tuesday that the cyclone would bring heavy rains in most areas of Java, especially south Banten, southwest Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java and Bali.(hol/ebf)


Thousands of Gunung Kidul residents evacuate following floods
Antara 30 Nov 17;

Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - Flooding in the Gunung Kidul District of Yogyakarta Province has forced thousands of people to temporarily shift to evacuation shelters.

"According to the preliminary data, the count of evacuees reaches 2,911 people. The figure can increase, as the disaster is still occurring," Executive Head of the Gunung Kidul Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency Ruti Sulastri noted here on Thursday.

Joint mitigation officers also evacuated several people after some houses were damaged due to the landslide and flooding.

The evacuees also stayed at their relatives` houses and the village hall office.

The evacuation shelters are located in a total of 14 areas.

Sub-districts, such as Nglipar, Semanu, Gedangsari, and Patuk, have suffered the worst brunt of the disaster.

The largest number of evacuees has been reported in the sub-districts of Nglipar and Semanu.

Sulastri said the Gunung Kidul administration has issued an official statement on the disaster emergency status from Nov 28 to Dec 8.

"We are still calculating the total damage caused to residences and road infrastructure," she added.

Meanwhile, Deputy District Head of Gunung Kidul Immawan Wahyudi said the administration is still gathering information on the damaged infrastructure that can be repaired immediately.

The administration has prioritized key infrastructure to be repaired, including road access.

Bad weather occurred in the southern area of Java Island due to the Cempaka tropical cyclone forming in the southern waters of Java Sea.

Heavy rains and strong winds occurred in the southern areas in West Java Province, Central Java Province, Yogyakarta, and East Java, thereby causing floods.

(Uu.B019/INE)
(UU.B019/B/KR-BSR/F001)
Editor: Heru Purwanto


Indonesia braces itself for floods, as heavy rains continue
Straits Times 30 Nov 17;

JAKARTA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The Indonesian government has strengthened measures to deal with the potential hazards of floods and landslides as the nation braces for heavy rainfall, which is estimated to sweep the country over the next three months.

The move came amid mounting concerns of Cyclone Cempaka, which hit Java Island with heavy rains and wind earlier this week, causing floods and landslides that turned deadly in several areas on Tuesday (Nov 28).

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs Puan Maharani gathered a number of representatives from related ministries and state institutions in a meeting to discuss the risk of floods and landslides, particularly during peak rainfall in December, January and February.

Speaking after the meeting, Puan said the government has been preparing for disaster mitigation.

"Local administrations will also be informed so they can start anticipating (floods and landslides) in the coming months of heavy rain," Puan said, adding that the Home Ministry was tasked with leading the campaign to disseminate information.

Floods and landslides caused by Cyclone Cempaka, which hit at least 13 villages in Pacitan, Kebonagung and Arjosari, East Java, have claimed 11 lives with 4,000 people reportedly in dire need of evacuation.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had previously issued a warning of the cyclone hitting Java and Bali islands. The cyclone's winds reached 65 kilometres per hour on Tuesday, affecting at least 21 regencies and municipalities.

As the heavy rain and strong winds continued on Wednesday, floods and landslides occurred in dozens of villages in several municipalities on Central Java.

In Surakarta, hundreds of houses were inundated following heavy rainfall from Tuesday morning to Wednesday at dawn, causing thousands of residents to flee their homes for shelter.

Similar incidents also occurred in two villages in Weru district in Sukoharjo, and eight villages in Bayat district in Klaten. The floods reportedly hit hundreds of houses and covered hundreds of hectares of paddy fields.

In Wonogiri, the Search and Rescue (SAR) team recorded dozens of floods and landslides in 14 districts following hours of heavy rainfall.

Two people died in a landslide in Tirtomoyo district and two more were killed in a flood in Manyaran district in the worst such disaster in the area in the last 10 years.

In 2007, 17 residents were killed after 2-metre-high floodwater swept an area in Tirtomoyo.

"At least 2,000 residents have been evacuated. They are now taking refuge in tents," Wonogiri's Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Bambang Haryanto said.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has found that at least 60 million Indonesian citizens live in flood-prone areas, 40 million in landslide-prone areas and 4 million in tsunami-prone areas.

As of Nov 20, the BNPB recorded 545 landslides and 689 floods across the country, making the latter the most frequent natural disaster until almost the end of 2017.

The agency has prepared any possible measures, ranging from an early warning system to emergency funds, to mitigate the effects of the disasters and to take care of residents who fell victim to floods and landslides, BNPB head Willem Rampangilei said.

"At the same time, we will conduct assessments of all damage (caused by the disasters) to accelerate the repair work," Willem added.

Social Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa said her office has prepared 278 tons of rice to be delivered to shelters across the country to reach people affected by the floods and landslides across the country.

The BMKG has detected a potential new cyclone that has formed off the southwest of Bengkulu in the Indian Ocean, and was moving to the east toward West Java and Banten provinces.

"(The cyclone) is continuing to move to the east and probably will come to the southwest of Sukabumi in West Java, causing at least strong winds until Dec 2," BMKG researcher Muhammad Iip said.

Indonesia at risk of landslides, floods amid heavy rain
Cyclone Cempaka kills 11; govt prepares for hazards as rainfall expected to last 3 months
Straits Times 1 Dec 17;

JAKARTA/PATTANI • The Indonesian government has made preparations to deal with the potential hazards of floods and landslides as the country braces itself for heavy rainfall, which is estimated to sweep the country over the next three months.

The move came amid mounting concerns over Cyclone Cempaka, which hit the island of Java with heavy rain and wind earlier this week, causing floods and landslides that turned deadly in several areas on Tuesday.

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs Puan Maharani gathered a number of representatives from related ministries and state institutions in a meeting to discuss the risk of floods and landslides, particularly during peak rainfall in December, January and February.

Speaking after the meeting, Madam Puan said the govern-ment has been preparing for disaster mitigation.

"Local administrations will also be informed so they can start an-ticipating (floods and landslides) in the coming months of heavy rain," she said, adding that the Home Ministry was tasked with leading the campaign to disseminate information.

Floods and landslides caused by Cyclone Cempaka, which hit at least 13 villages in Pacitan, Kebonagung and Arjosari in East Java, have claimed 11 lives, with 4,000 people reportedly in dire need of evacuation.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had previously issued a warning of the cyclone hitting Java and Bali islands.

The cyclone's winds reached 65kmh on Tuesday, affecting at least 21 regencies and municipalities.

21 Number of regencies and municipalities affected when the cyclone's winds reached 65kmh on Tuesday.

As the heavy rain and strong winds continued on Wednesday, floods and landslides occurred in dozens of villages in several municipalities in Central Java.

In Surakarta, hundreds of houses were inundated following heavy rainfall from Tuesday morning to dawn on Wednesday, causing thousands of residents to flee their homes for shelter.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has found that at least 60 million Indonesian citizens live in flood-prone areas, 40 million in landslide-prone areas and four million in tsunami-prone areas.

As of Nov 20, the BNPB recorded 545 landslides and 689 floods across the country, making the latter the most frequent natural disaster until almost the end of this year.

The agency has prepared many possible measures, ranging from an early warning system to emergency funds, to mitigate the effects of the disasters and to take care of residents who fell victim to floods and landslides, BNPB head Willem Rampangilei said.

"At the same time, we will conduct assessments of all damage (caused by the disasters) to accelerate the repair work," he said.

Social Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa said her office has prepared 252 tonnes of rice to be delivered to shelters across the country to reach people affected by the floods and landslides across the country.

The BMKG has detected a potential new cyclone that has formed off the south-west of Bengkulu in the Indian Ocean, and is moving to the east toward West Java and Banten provinces.

"(The cyclone) is continuing to move to the east and probably will come to the south-west of Sukabumi in West Java, causing at least strong winds until Dec 2," BMKG researcher Muhammad Iip said.

Meanwhile, heavy floods also swept into southern Thailand this week killing five people, the authorities said yesterday as photos of waterlogged and damaged roads spread on social media.

The worst-hit provinces are located in the deep south on the border with Malaysia, a restive hot spot where Muslim insurgents have engaged in clashes with the central government. More than 380,000 people from eight southern provinces have been affected by the rising waters in the southern Thailand but no formal evacuation plan has been announced.

THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE