Heavy rain-triggered floods and landslides unfortunately marked the beginning of the new year for many residents living in the Greater Jakarta Area, where at least 24 people have been confirmed dead as of this morning and thousands forced to flee their homes.
Rain started pouring on the evening of New Year’s Eve and continued well into New Year’s Day morning, resulting in the city’s highest rainfall intensity – at 377 millimeters per day – since 2007, according to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
Siang ini Kepala BNPB, Gubernur DKI Jakarta dan media terbang menggunakan heli untuk meninjau dari udara kondisi banjir Jakarta sekitarnya #Banjir pic.twitter.com/v1sVNudrky
— BNPB Indonesia (@BNPB_Indonesia) January 1, 2020
“The rain falling on New Year’s is very extreme in the western and northern parts of Java, triggering floods in [Greater Jakarta Area], West Bandung and even Cikampek and Cipali [in West Java]. This time it’s no ordinary rain,” Agus Wibowo, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman, said in a press release.
BNPB said that the victims died of either drowning, hypothermia, electrocution or killed by landslides and most of them were found in Jakarta. The dead include 8-year-old Nizam Saputra, who was killed by landslides in Depok, and 73-year-old Sutarmi, who died from electrocution in East Jakarta.
While floods appear to have subsided in some parts of Jakarta as of this morning, many areas are still affected, including in the Ciledug sub-district of Tangerang City in Banten where cars are almost completely drowned, as seen via TMC Polda Metro Jaya’s Twitter account:
07:23 #Banjir di Perumahan Ciledug Indah 1 Tangerang. @fineapplekiki pic.twitter.com/tV7O8ZrDZY
— TMC Polda Metro Jaya (@TMCPoldaMetro) January 2, 2020
07:06 #Banjir di Perumahan Puri Mansion Duri Kosambi Jakarta Barat. @Bebe70466966 pic.twitter.com/FmDo5ilraO
— TMC Polda Metro Jaya (@TMCPoldaMetro) January 2, 2020
07.45 Selamat pagi Jakarta, mohon maaf kepada masyarakat atas ketidaknyamanannya atas kondisi pelayanan samsat Jakbar saat ini. pic.twitter.com/sZsKN7370M
— TMC Polda Metro Jaya (@TMCPoldaMetro) January 2, 2020
Clarissa, a 25-year-old who lives in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta, said she’s forced to stay near the Soekarno-Hatta Airport since arriving yesterday because the floods blocked access to her house.
“I can’t access the road near my house, so I decided to stay near the airport for now as it seems like the safest option,” Clarissa told Coconuts, adding that the water in front of her house has yet to subside this morning.
The floods inundated thousands of homes and buildings across the city, both in poor and wealthy neighborhoods. Authorities have been forced to cut off electricity and water supplies, while transport networks have also been affected by the floods.
Indonesians have been utilizing social media to update situations in their respective areas, with some using the platforms to warn others to stay away from some areas, or to seek out help.
Despite the gloomy circumstances, some are going out of their way to do acts of kindness, including delivering food to friends who are stuck in the flood, as shared by Twitter user @faqih_shofyan.
Temen gue terjang banjir demi antar makanan ke temen-temennya yang terjebak banjir di kos daerah Kemang.
Dia jauh2 dari Pamulang, Tangsel pic.twitter.com/qKWMU0ClId
— Faqih Shofyan Afifi (@faqih_shofyan) January 1, 2020
“My friend braced the flood to deliver food to his other friends who are stuck in their boarding house near Kemang. He came all the way from Pamulang, South Tangerang,” the user tweeted.
BNPB said residents should be cautious of electric currents, robbery, snakes and other possible dangers. On Twitter, they shared a number of emergency numbers that might be helpful to those who need it:
#SahabatTangguh terus waspadai arus listrik, pencurian, ular & bahaya lainnya. Tetap tenang & selalu siap nomor2 penting berikut ini:
1. Ambulans (118 atau 119)
2. Pemadam kebakaran (113)
3. Polisi (110)
4. SAR/BASARNAS (115)
5. Posko bencana alam (129)
6. PLN (123)— BNPB Indonesia (@BNPB_Indonesia) January 1, 2020
Read more news and updates from Jakarta here.
