Tornadoes Hit 3 Villages In Madiun, East Java, Hundreds Of Residents' Houses Were Damaged

A number of houses were damaged by a tornado that hit three villages in Wonoasri District, Madiun Regency, East Java, Sunday/ANTARA

The tornado hit three villages in Wonoasri District, Madiun Regency, East Java and damaged hundreds of houses, Sunday, March 5. "According to BPBD data from Madiun Regency, tornadoes hit Sidomulyo, Plumpungrejo, and Jatirejo, Wonoasri District," said Madiun Regent Ahmad Dawami while reviewing the affected locations in Wonoasri Madiun, Antara, Sunday night. According to him, local BPBD officers are still collecting data on the number of damaged houses. However, it is estimated that there are hundreds of housing units with the category of minor to moderate damage. In addition to collecting data, officers also made efforts to repair the emergency because the disaster also caused a number of trees to fall, causing disruption to electricity. Emergency repairs include evacuating fallen trees by sawing their stems and branches that hit poles and power lines, closing road access, and destroying a number of houses. "I and the BPBD team immediately visited the disaster-affected locations for initial handling. Currently, data collection is still in progress," said the Regent. Residents' houses generally experience damage to the roof. Many tiles flew after being swept away by strong winds accompanied by rain on Sunday evening. In addition to destroying residents' houses and turning off electricity, the tornado in the Wonoasri Madiun area also hampered the journey of the Jayakarta train, the Surabaya Gubeng-Pasar Senen relation, due to a fallen rail line in the Sidomulyo Village area. Public Relations Manager Daop 7 Madiun Supriyanto said local daop officers immediately evacuated tree trunks that crossed the tracks using a chainsaw. "After about an hour of sterile process, the train line returned to normal," said Supriyanto. BPBD urges residents to always be vigilant, because it is estimated that the intensity of rainfall is still high in the Madiun Regency and its surroundings in early 2023. These conditions are prone to hydrometeorological disasters, such as tornadoes, landslides, floods, and flash floods. Residents living in disaster-prone areas are asked to always be prepared for disasters. Meanwhile, Wonoasri District is an area prone to strong winds. Previously, a similar disaster also hit Sidomulyo Village, Wonoasri in early February. It was recorded that dozens of houses were lightly to moderately damaged due to the disaster. According to the plan, efforts to clean up due to the strong winds will be carried out by joint officers with residents on Monday (6/3/2023) morning. In addition, a number of logistical assistance will also be distributed as soon as possible to residents affected by the disaster.