Senyar Cyclone Stays Away, West Sumatra Is Still At The Peak Of The Rainy Season This December

JAKARTA - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) revealed that the former Senyar tropical cyclone had moved away from Indonesian territory. However, the rain is still potentially high because West Sumatra is still at the peak of the rainy season until December.

"The dynamics of the atmosphere such as IOD, sea surface temperature, and wind convergence are still active, so they have the potential to trigger rain clouds in the next few days," said Head of BMKG Minangkabau Meteorological Station, Desindra Deddy Kurniawan, as quoted by Antara, Monday, December 1.

He appealed to the public to remain alert to extreme weather and return home gradually from the evacuation post. BMKG appealed to the public to increase awareness of extreme weather, pay attention to environmental conditions, and start returning home gradually from the evacuation post.

"It is important for all parties to increase preparedness so that the risk of hydrometeorological disasters can be reduced to a minimum," he said.

High vigilance is requested to be carried out at least in 16 regencies/cities, including the Mentawai Islands, West Pasaman, Agam, Bukittinggi, Tanah Datar, Padang Panjang, Padang Pariaman, Pariaman, Padang, Pesisir Selatan, Sawahlunto, Solok Regency, South Solok, Solok City, Pasaman, Fifty Cities, and Payakumbuh.

On the other hand, the government is focusing efforts to deal with disasters in West Sumatra on opening access to transportation and restoring vital infrastructure. Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Suharyanto stated that the recovery process in the region showed significant development after three days of intensive handling.

West Sumatra has entered the recovery phase faster on the third day. Weather conditions are also more supportive because there is no rain, and weather modification operations are still being carried out," he said.

BNPB recorded that the number of victims who died due to the disaster reached 129 people, while 118 people were still declared missing and 16 others were injured. In Padang Pariaman Regency, a number of refugees began to return home to clean up the remaining flood and landslide materials.

Areas with the worst impact were recorded in Agam Regency, with 87 deaths and 76 people still being searched. Overall, disasters hit eight districts and cities, namely Agam, Solok, Pesisir Selatan, Padang, Padang Panjang, Pariaman, Tanah Datar, and Bukittinggi.

The number of displaced residents was reported to have reached 77,918 people. Many of them chose to clean their houses during the day, then returned to the evacuation post at night for safety.

Infrastructure damage is still a major concern, especially broken bridges, collapsed roads, and disruption of national and provincial transportation routes. A number of national roads that cannot be passed are located in the Padang Panjang area to Sicincin.

The assistance that has been distributed includes basic needs, cleaning equipment, ready-to-eat food, blankets, refugee tents, and the deployment of heavy equipment such as excavators. All BNPB personnel were also alerted at the affected points to assist Forkopimda elements in field handling.

"It's been four days since the team has been on the field and all activities are going according to plan," said Suharyanto.

To support emergency operations, the government deployed one BNPB helicopter, one fixed wing aircraft, and one helicopter from Basarnas. However, the use of the air fleet is still limited because some land routes can still be passed.

Meanwhile, the West Sumatra Disaster Management Integrated Command Post noted that at least 131 personnel were directly involved in handling floods, gagodo, river sedimentation, and damage to irrigation canals. The main focus is directed at restoring river flow as well as water distribution for settlements and the agricultural sector.