Flood reaches 1.5 meters, residents of Serang Banten urged to evacuate immediately

JAKARTA - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Banten Province, appealed to residents of Kasemen District, Serang City, to immediately evacuate considering the water level in the settlement reached 1.5 meters due to the high intensity of rainfall.

The head of the Banten Provincial BPBD, Lutfi Mujahidin, in Serang, Friday, said based on provisional data, the flood in Kasemen had an impact on 134 heads of households (KK) or as many as 406 people, especially in the Kroya Lama and Banten Lama areas.

"The water level is variable, in residential areas it reaches 1 meter to 1.5 meters," he said.

Lutfi explained that the escalation of rain occurred since noon and is expected to continue until evening. In addition to weather factors, the condition of the river in Kasemen which is filled with illegal buildings also hinders the flow of water so as to aggravate the puddles.

For the evacuation process, BPBD Banten has deployed a joint team and alerted three rubber boats.

"Some residents are already willing to evacuate, but there are still others who want to stay in their homes. We will help if the residents need a boat for evacuation," he said.

His party appealed to the affected community to remain vigilant, turn off the electricity, save valuables, and evacuate to safer locations.