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ACTNews, LEBAK - It was already five in the
morning, but it was still too dark. Thick clouds were still clinging above the
sky in Sajira Mekar Village, Sajira Subdistrict, Lebak Regency. On Wednesday
(1/1) morning, flash floods hit the whole village. The local villagers were
already up and doing their activities when the landslide happens. They could
all save themselves, and there were no casualties.
At
least 98 houses, 2 small mosques, 1 Islamic boarding school, and 58 hectares of
agricultural land were damaged by the flooding in Sajiramekar Village.
"The material loss is estimated to reach at least IDR 7 billion. Until now,
residents whose homes were damaged have evacuated to their relatives’ houses,
"explained Sajira Mekar Village Chief Zaenudin to ACTNews, Saturday (1/4).
He said that a number of residents whose houses were badly damaged would be
relocated to safer areas.
Located right on the bank of Ciberang
River, Sajira Subdistrict was one of the most-severely affected areas by the
flash flood earlier in the year. The headwaters of the river in the Mount
Halimun Salak National Park overflowed.
Suhadi, a resident of Sajira Mekar
Village, said that the flood reached three meter-high. The residents evacuated
themselves. "Now, the residents are in need aid like clothes, food, and
shelters if possible," hoped Suhadi.
Hartini, a housewife from Sajira Mekar,
said that the flood also washed away all of the residents’ belongings. “We lost
our belongings such as rice cookers, televisions, and refrigerators," she
admitted.
Besides Sajira Subdistrict, floods hit
five other subdistricts in Lebak Regency, namely Cipanas, Lebakgedong,
Curugbitung, Maja, and Cimarga Subdistricts.
Regional Disaster Mitigation Board (BPBD)
of Banten recorded that at least 11,400 people were affected by the flooding in
Lebak Regency. Nine people were confirmed dead. 27 bridges were damaged, 520
houses were slightly damaged, 1,310 houses were lightly damaged, and 3 schools
were damaged. The government has also declared the emergency response status
for Lebak Regency until January 14, 2020. []
