Floods In Halmahera Have Not Receded, Inter-District Road Access Is Cut Off

Flood conditions in Central Halmahera, North Maluku (doc BNPB)

HALMAHERA CENTRAL - Floods are still submerging residential areas in a number of villages in Central Halmahera Regency, North Maluku Province. The flood caused by the overflow of the river also caused road access between sub-districts and to the capital city of Central Halmahera to be stopped because it could not be passed, Tuesday, July 23, 2024.

The worst village due to the flood was Lukolamo Village, which is located in Central Wedah District. The flood has surrounded residential areas since last Sunday, until it reached a height of 2 meters.

On the third day, the Central Halmahera Regency Government (Pemkab), through the local Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) together with the TNI from Kodim 1512 Weda and Central Halmahera Police personnel, continued to take steps to anticipate the handling of the impact of flooding on residents.

They evacuated residents affected by the flood to safer areas. The reason is, their houses can no longer be occupied by high water.

The Regent of Central Halmahera Regency, Ikram M Sangaji, went directly to the flood site to see the officers provide treatment, especially in the evacuation process for residents in Lukolamo Village, which is the worst area.

Ikram said that since the flood occurred on Sunday morning, the Central Halmahera Regency Government, together with the TNI and Polri, immediately jumped to the location to take early steps to deal with residents so that residents could be evacuated to a safer place from the threat of flooding.

The district government has also prepared the handling of health needs and logistical needs for residents. The Regent also hopes that the public will be careful with the current flood conditions. Field officers, both BPBD, TNI, and Polri, are still providing handling.

"We have evacuated. We prioritize the elderly and children. For handling, we are waiting for the water to recede, so what we are doing is not yet handling the flood because the water is still heavy. Now we focus on preparing logistics handling and evacuating residents," said the Regent.

Meanwhile, the Commander of Kodim 1512 Weda, Lt. Col. INF Nugroho Susanto, explained that currently TNI, Polri, and BPBD personnel are still at the flood site to provide handling and monitoring so that residents do not dare to break through the swift flood currents that can endanger lives.

"According to instructions from the Regent, we are waiting for the water to recede. Later there will be BPBD and Naval posts that we will use to evacuate the community," said Dandim.

For this reason, it is emphasized that currently personnel from the Kodim, Polres, and BPBD are placed in flood locations to monitor and handle the community. Moreover, many people are desperate to break through the swift flow of flooding that could endanger their lives.

"We hope that we will standby first, let the water recede and then we will continue the evacuation process," he said.

Residents who have been evacuated are temporarily placed in Makodim 1512 Weda, schools in Sawai Itepo Village, and also in shophouse buildings owned by people who are safe from flooding.