Suherdjoko and Ainur Rohmah, Semarang – Thousands of people in a number of regions across Central Java have been forced to flee their homes after parts of the province were affected by floods and landslides that began on Friday.
In Purworejo regency, as of Monday floods forced nearly 4,000 residents to find higher ground as their houses were submerged by up to 2 meters of water.
Previously on Friday, the landslides in Plipiran subdistrict, Bruno district, in Purworejo, killed a mother and her eight-year-old daughter. Purworejo Regent Mahsun Zain has issued a decree to establish an emergency flood response.
Also on Friday, landslides killed four people in Kaligending subdistrict, Karangsambung district, in Kebumen regency.
In Banjarnegara regency, landslides hit 43 spots spread over 25 subdistricts in 12 districts, killing one. Eighteen houses were reported as having suffered serious damage while nine others experienced moderate damage, 52 had minimal damage and 62 were at risk of landslides. Ten families were forced to flee their homes because of the disaster.
"The number of displaced persons will decrease as the flood has begun to recede," the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a media release on Monday.
He said the Purworejo-Kebumen main road in Butuh district that had been previously closed because of the flood had been reopened allowing vehicles to pass through from both directions. He said the rainy season would peak in January and February.
Separately, spokesman for state railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia's Operational Region V/Purwokerto, Surono, said that the company tightly controlled all railway tracks as floods were inundating regions in southern Central Java.
He said floods were approaching tracks in a number of spots between Prembun, Butuh and Kutoarjo stations, although so far train services had not been affected. Meanwhile, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo instructed his staff to focus on rescuing disaster victims. "Rescue the people first, then provide assistance for them," Ganjar said Monday.
He said his administration had sent thousands of sandbags to deal with breached embankments. Together with local officials, he added, residents had started to mend the damaged embankments on Monday.
"I continue to monitor it through the Provincial Disaster Mitigation Agency [BPBD]. I am thankful that people are willing to work together [to deal with the problem]," he said.