Antara, Jakarta – The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that at least 458 houses in Pangkalpinang City, Bangka Belitung Province were submerged in floodwaters ranging from 20 to 30 centimeters.
"458 houses and two government offices, the Genas Village Head Office and the Tamansari Koramil (Military Command Post), were flooded," the agency's head of the disaster data, information, and communication center, Abdul Muhari, said in a statement broadcast in Jakarta, Tuesday, January 16.
Abdul said the affected areas included Bukit Sari, Air Kepala Tujuh, Tuatunu Indah, and Kacang Pedang subdistricts in Gerunggang district; Rejasari subdistrict in Pangkal Balam district; Kejaksaan, Genas, and Batin Tikal subdistrict in Tamansari district; and Sriwijaya subdistrict in Grimaya district. Fortunately, there were no casualties from Monday's flooding, which was caused by five hours of moderately heavy rain, strong winds, and high tides of up to 2.6 meters.
Dedy Revandi, the chairman of the Pangkalpinang Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), said this flood occurs every year, at the beginning of the year and the end of the year, due to high tides. The flood recedes within an average of five hours, depending on the tide.
"The city government has built a reservoir and made a new embung (retention basin) to catch water coming from upstream or higher areas. The construction of the reservoir and embung is still in progress due to budget constraints, so they are being built in stages," said Dedy.
The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued an early warning for the possibility of moderate to heavy rain with thunders and strong winds in Pangkalpinang City on Wednesday, January 17. On Thursday, the city's weather was expected to be cloudy and rainy.
The BNPB called on residents to always monitor the weather forecast issued by the BMKG and to be vigilant in case of heavy rain for more than one hour so that they can immediately prepare to flee to a safer place.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1822213/more-than-450-homes-flooded-in-pangkalpinang-submerged-bnpb-say