2,291 Houses In Southeast Minahasa Flooded

JAKARTA - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Southeast Minahasa Regency recorded as many as 2,291 houses were flooded in a number of areas of Southeast Minahasa, North Sulawesi Province.

The flooding occurred after heavy rains and the overflowing of the Wawesen and Soyowan rivers since Wednesday, April 6.

"The flood affected at least 2,291 houses and 42 families were forced to evacuate due to this incident," said Plt. Head of BNPB Disaster Information and Communication Center Abdul Muhari in his statement, Thursday, April 7.

As a result of this flood, as many as 8 housing units were severely damaged, 2 housing units were moderately damaged, and 4 housing units were lightly damaged. Then, the flood also submerged 3 units of worship facilities, 5 units of government offices, 3 educational facilities and 1 unit of health facilities.

Until now, the Minahasa Regency BPBD is still collecting data on the impact of flash floods that occurred in two sub-districts, namely Ratatatotok District and Belang District.

After the incident, the local BPBD officers made efforts to handle the emergency by alerting a quick reaction team, one of which was the evacuation of residents and a rapid assessment in the field.

"The results of a quick assessment in the field state that the water level at the time of the flood was between 20-70 centimeters. The flood has begun to recede gradually, but at some points there are still puddles of water. Now, access to the main road can be passed by local residents," said Abdul Muhari. Furthermore, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has released an early warning for North Sulawesi today.

Watch out for the potential for moderate to heavy rain accompanied by lightning/lightning and strong winds in the areas of Kotamobagu, South Minahasa, Southeast Minahasa, Bolaang Mongondow, East Bolaang Mongondow, North Bolaang Mongondow, Sitaro Islands, Sangihe Islands and Talaud Islands.

"BNPB urges local governments to involve various organizations with their roles to inform the community of early warning so that the impact of casualties can be avoided in the event of a disaster," he added.