Quick Response Team Deployed To Assist Jakarta's Flood Victims

Jakarta, Jan 13 (Antara) - The National Disaster Management Agency, BNPB, has deployed the Quick Response Team to assist with the flood victim evacuation process following the major flood that hit Jakarta. "The agency`s quick response team has been deployed since Sunday, Jan. 12," stated The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, here on Monday. As recorded, as many as 5,152 people have been evacuated and placed in 35 sheltering camps, after the floods affected 31 villages in 18 districts in the capital. The four worst flood affected areas in East Jakarta are Cawang, Cililitan, Bidara Cina and Kampung Melayu. In Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta, at least 1,508 homes have been inundated with floods, forcing 212 out of the 3,427 residents to evacuate. "Most of the residents do not want to evacuate despite floods that have reached 100-250 cm," Sutopo noted. While in Cawang, Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, 50-400 cm of flood water inundated a total of 1,944 homes with 6,293 inhabitants and displaced at least 3,446 people from their homes. Residents of the area moved to the nearby supermarket area, integrated Health Posts, office buildings, mosques and the local elementary school. Rains hit the capital city on Sunday, Jan. 12, continuing with heavy showers through Monday, leading to the overflow of major rivers and flooding the nearby residential areas. Besides affecting homes, the floods have also blocked a number of roads in Jakarta such as TB Simatupang Road in South Jakarta, Gunung Sahari Road in Central Jakarta, Kelapa Gading Road in East Jakarta and several others. Based on Antara observation, the water in the Katulampa sluice gate in Bogor, West Java has reached a height of 130 cm, and 810 cm in Manggarai Sluice gate in Jakarta, putting Jakarta residents on a high flood alert for the next few days. The Multi-functional Transport Satellite, MTSAT, images showed several clouds formed around Jakarta and the Java Sea regions, indicating the potential for heavy rainfall in Jakarta. Jakarta residents have been asked to stay on high alert and to shut off electricity in case flood waters enter homes, and also to pay attention to children's safety near the flood areas.