There Are 256 Residents Affected By Mount Marapi Lava Flood

Mount Marapi (Photo: dock. Antara/HO-BPBD Agam)

JAKARTA - The cold lava flood of Mount Marapi affected 256 residents in Bukik Batabuah Village, Canduang District, Agam Regency, West Sumatra. Head of the Disaster Preparedness Group (KSB) Bukit Batabuah, Agam Regency Edi Effendi, Saturday said that from temporary data 256 residents or 78 families as many as 68 people had to be evacuated. "The temporary data of there were no casualties but there was damage to infrastructure. But there were residents who were evacuated because their houses were affected by the flood," he said, quoting Antara. He said that several houses were damaged and swept away by cold lava flows and the large number of agricultural lands that were also victims. "There were three houses that were swept away by heavy water flow, 38 units of residents' businesses were damaged, three fish ponds were also washed away, two fish ponds were badly damaged and agricultural land which were currently still being collected," said Edi. This flood also resulted in road access being cut off because the bridge was damaged. The village head of Bukit Batabuah Firdaus revealed one of the causes was a closed water flow on a bridge located on an alternative road. Bukittinggi-Payakumbuh. "One of the causes of this flood is also due to bridges with a building structure of two buffers up to a flow of closed water from materials from peaks such as trees and garbage," he said.

He said there were at least eight residents who at the time of the incident had to be evacuated to the nearest hospital. "This is temporary data, we don't know for sure their situation. The total loss is also uncertain," he said. The Joint Team consisting of BPBD, PMI, Basarnas, TNI-Polri, Pemuda Pancasila, KSB and agencies related to the Agam Regency Government have established a temporary evacuation post, one of which is placed in a local elementary school.