Jakarta – A seven-hour torrential downpour caused the flood, which has forced 4,728 residents to evacuate to six different emergency shelters. Meanwhile, the BNPB has estimated that 11,725 families have been affected by the flood.
The floodwaters also demolished around 350 houses and inundated 211 others, while public facilities were also torn apart by the disaster, according to BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
For the evacuees, the evacuation center set up by the Jayapura regent has provided medical treatment and a public kitchen. At least five hospitals have also offered to help the evacuees.
The Indonesian Environmental Forum has blamed deforestation in the Cyclops Mountains as the cause of the disaster. (mai)