Extreme Weather Hits Kudus, 30 Houses Damaged Dozens Of Fallen Trees

Evacuation of fallen trees on Jalan UMK Kudus, Central Java. (ANTARA)

The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Kudus Regency, Central Java, noted that around 30 housing units suffered damage to their roofs and dozens of trees fell due to heavy rain accompanied by strong winds, last Thursday.

"Temporary data on 30 houses were damaged due to strong winds on Thursday afternoon. Officers are still checking in the field today, so it is possible that the number of damaged cases could still increase," said Head of Emergency at the Kudus Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Munaji, quoted by ANTARA, Friday, January 12.

He revealed that the 30 damaged houses were scattered in two villages, namely Ngembalrejo Village with 29 housing units and Tumpang Krasak Village with one house (Bae District).

Based on information from residents affected, the disaster occurred at around 15:10 WIB. The incident began with rain, then accompanied by strong winds.

As a result of this incident, 30 housing units were damaged, while none of the fatalities. The damage that occurred was in the form of a roof tile being swept away by the wind, some were damaged by falling trees.

He appealed to residents to remain alert to the possibility of natural disasters. If a tornado occurs, it is advisable to stay away from the corners of the room, doors, windows, and also the outer walls of the building, because high winds can damage parts of the house, so that the material can endanger the safety of the soul.

While the number of trees fell, he said, temporary data showed that 25 trees were scattered in a number of areas. Among them, on Jalan Lingkar UMK, Jalan Jenderal Sudirman and a number of other roads, including in the IAIN Kudus campus complex, there are five points.

After receiving information about the disaster, he continued, Kudus BPBD officers together with volunteers headed to a number of locations where the incident occurred to help evacuate fallen trees.

"Some trees fell overturned on the road, thus blocking road access and causing traffic jams. There were also fallen trees that hit houses, PLN and Telkom networks and food stalls," he said.

Losses due to the incident, estimated at Rp260 million, because apart from the roof tiles of the residents flying and breaking, there were damaged houses, including several buildings belonging to IAIN Kudus.