Settlements In Rangkasbitung Lebak Banten Are Flooded

LEBAK - A number of settlements in Rangkasbitung, Lebak Regency, Banten were flooded because the drainage channel was narrow and there were piles of garbage so that the flow of water did not run smoothly.

"We suspect the flood inundation is due to the large number of housing developments," said Head of the Lebak Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Febby Rizky Pratama, quoted by Antara, Wednesday, January 12.

The floods that hit several residential areas included Sawah Village, Papanggo, Komdik, Baturambang, Palaton, Ministry of Religion Complex, Sentral, Hamlet and Mandala Complex.

In addition, a number of protocol roads were flooded, such as Jalan Siliwangi, Sunan Kalijaga, Sunan Giri and Sunan Bonang.

The flooding that hit residential areas as well as roads was due to the heavy rain that lasted for three hours starting at 16.00 WIB until 19.00 WIB.

In fact, up to 21.00 WIB the flood had not subsided. Moreover, light rain was still occurring.

"We ask residents in flooded settlements to increase their vigilance in order to reduce the risk of disaster," said Febby.

According to him, the Lebak BPBD has so far continued to optimize its preparedness for natural disasters in connection with the BMKG issuing a high rainfall warning from January 1 to 15, 2022.

People living in areas prone to natural disasters should increase their vigilance, especially floods and landslides.

Currently, he said, the Lebak BPBD is deploying a water pump to inundate residents' houses.

Besides that, rubber boats were also used to evacuate residents who were flooded as high as 120 centimeters due to overflowing rivers.

"We are currently concentrating on evacuating and assisting in extracting flood water by using a pump," he said.

Meanwhile, Rudi, a resident of the Rangkasbitung Ministry of Religion Complex, Lebak Regency, admitted that he was happy that his house which was flooded by a flood as high as 60 centimeters was sucked up by an engine pump from the local BPBD.

"We are very grateful to the BPBD for helping him and the puddle conditions have receded," said Rudi.