Floods Become The Deadliest Natural Disaster Until August 2020

Flood Illustration (Photo: Irfan Meidianto)

JAKARTA - From January to August 2020, floods have become the deadliest natural disaster. In fact, flooding is a natural disaster that is dominant until August 2020.

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) noted that more than 100 people died from the flood and 17 others were missing. BNPB recorded 726 flood events that resulted in displacement of more than 2.8 million until August 30, 2020.

Floods still hit areas in the country even though it had entered its eighth month, such as the floods in Agam Regency, West Sumatra on Sunday, August 30. Floods are one of the hydrometeorological disasters that dominate disaster events until August.

The floods resulted in hundreds of thousands of housing losses in the housing sector, with details of which were heavily damaged by 4,581 units, moderately damaged 2,784, slightly damaged 9,833 and submerged 540,739. Meanwhile, public facilities infrastructure damaged 496 educational facilities, 581 religious services, 112 health, 109 offices and 299 bridges.

From January to August 2020, BNPB identified 1,927 natural disasters. Of these, 99 percent are hydrometerological disasters, such as floods, landslides, flash floods, tornadoes and drought.

The number of disaster events resulted in 290 people dead and missing, 421 injured and 3.8 million displaced.

The following is the number of events based on the type of natural disaster up to the eighth month, 726 floods, 521 tornadoes, 367 landslides, 256 forest and land fires, 24 tidal waves and abrasions, 16 droughts, 12 earthquakes and volcanic eruptions 5.

Meanwhile, geological disasters, such as earthquakes, need to be a common concern. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded a total of 804 earthquakes during August 2020.

Of these, earthquakes with a magnitude of 7 occurred 27 times, and less than a magnitude of 777 times. A total of 49 earthquakes were felt by residents.

BMKG Head of Earthquake and Tsunami Mitigation Division Daryono said that in August 2020 there was only 1 destructive earthquake in Sungai Gerong Village, Lebong Regency, Bengkulu.

"This earthquake is a twin earthquake or doublet earthquake which occurred on August 19, 2020 with M6.6 and M6.7," said Daryono during a press conference via digital space, Monday, August 31.

Based on BMKG analysis throughout August 2020, a number of areas near the earthquake active zone need to be watched out for. These areas include Banda Aceh, Bengkulu, the Sunda Strait, West Java, East Java, Sumba, Sigi and Matano, North Maluku and Sarmi.

Responding to catastrophic events, the public is urged to be vigilant and ready to face threats of danger, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. After the rainy season subsides, the potential for haze disasters in the form of forest and land fires will be faced. However, the threat of volcanic eruptions and other geological disasters, such as earthquakes that can trigger tsunamis, can occur at any time.