3,562 Residents In OKU South Sumatra Affected By Floods, Majority Refuge

The flood disaster hit OKU Regency on Sunday (16/6/2024) night. (ANTARA/Edo Purmana/24)

OKU - Personnel from the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Ogan Komering Ulu Regency (OKU), South Sumatra, evacuated thousands of residents affected by the flood disaster in the area to anticipate casualties. The manager of the OKU BPBD Pusdalops, Gunalfi, said that the high rainfall intensity that occurred on Sunday at 23.15 WIB caused a flood that submerged a number of areas in the local district. The flood-affected areas due to the overflow of the Ogan River are spread over three sub-districts including East Baturaja, Lubuk Batang and Lubuk Raja sub-districts. Based on data, 1,245 houses in the area were recorded as affected by floods with water levels ranging from 30 centimeters to two meters. Although there were no casualties, he said, as many as 3,562 people were affected by natural disasters and most of them were forced to flee to the place of their closest family until the flood receded. In handling the flood, his party sent personnel to the location of the natural disaster to evacuate residents affected by natural disasters so as not to cause casualties. In the process of evacuating at least two rubber boats were deployed to transport residents from houses affected by the flood to safe places. "As of this morning, the floods as large as the affected areas have gradually receded," he said in Baturaja, Antara, Monday, June 17.

Nevertheless, he continued, OKU BPBD personnel are still at the location of the natural disaster to help residents clean up the remaining flood material that entered the house. On this occasion, Gunalfi again reminded the public to continue to increase their vigilance in the face of potential aftershocks so as not to cause casualties.