Flood Hits Two Districts In Gorontalo

Gorontalo, Nov 22 (Antara) - A flash flood, triggered by incessant rain since 4 p.m. on Thursday, has inundated two districts-Gorontalo and North Gorontalo- in Gorontalo Province. Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Bar Yahya said here on Friday that the villages of Tibawa, Iloponu, Alo, and Labanu in Gorontalo District had borne the brunt of the disaster, with hundreds of houses and a number of houses of worship being inundated by floodwaters. Abdul noted that he had yet to receive confirmed information about the material loss, but he estimated it would touch hundreds of thousands of rupiahs. "We hope the rain will stop soon because the floodwaters have reached other areas and have inundated the main roads," he stated. In North Gorontalo District, he pointed out that the three villages of Bubode, Leyao, and Milango were now submerged under floodwaters. "Even the water level in the Milango village has risen to some 2 meters," he claimed. Meanwhile, disaster emergency response (Tagana) coordinator Risan Demanto said it was difficult to evacuate the flood victims to safer areas because the rain had not let up and the water level was continuing to rise. "But we are coordinating with the regional government and Tagana officials to evacuate the victims as soon as possible," he affirmed.