Suherdjoko and Andi Hajarmurni, Semarang/Makassar – Incessant rain over the last three days has inundated several cities in Central Java and South Sulawesi, forcing thousands of residents to flee their submerged homes for higher ground.
In Central Java, flooding has affected at least six districts in Kendal regency, along the northern coast of Java, Pati regency and parts of the provincial capital Semarang. In South Sulawesi, the regencies of Selayar and Maros have been the most badly affected.
In downtown Kendal on Friday, the water reached a height of 1.5 meters, disrupting roads linking Semarang and Jakarta. Residents began evacuating their homes early Friday morning, seeking shelter in the nearby Rowosari district office.
"This year's flooding is the worst. We never thought our neighborhood would be inundated," one resident, Subeni, said. In addition to playing havoc with land transportation, the heavy rains also disturbed flights and sea transportation to Semarang.
A Boeing 737-500 aircraft seeking to land in Semarang on Friday morning was delayed, though smaller aircraft were not affected.
Yudi, one of the passengers on the delayed flight from Jakarta, said the plane circled the city three times before landing. "I was worried, but it seems the plane was just waiting for a break in the weather... and eventually we landed safely," he said.
Sukardi, an official at Semarang's Tanjung Emas seaport, said one boat heading to Sampit in Kalimantan was forced to return to port Thursday.
In the South Sulawesi regency Selayar, a resident, Fahrul, said Friday's flooding in the area was aggravated by rising sea levels. A three-meter-high wall built along the coast in Selayar was unable to hold back the sea, leaving hundreds of nearby homes inundated in up to a meter of water.
The flooding caught residents by surprise, because the area had never before experienced floods. The worst-hit areas in Selayar included Kota Benteng and Bonto Haru, where hundreds of local fishermen found their homes inundated.
Despite the flooding, however, none of the residents abandoned their homes. "The residents were preparing to flee, but as soon as the rain and wind stopped, the sea went down so they decided to stay," Fahrul said.
By Friday evening, many residents began the difficult task of washing the mud out of their homes, though they remained concerned the waters would return.
In Maros regency, residential areas along the coast were again affected on Friday, a day after floodwaters reaching a meter in height swept through four districts.
Public facilities such as school buildings and places of worship were affected by the flooding, as were hundreds of hectares of rice fields and fish ponds.