Ogan Komering Ulu Flood, 2 Villages Threatened Isolated

OKU BPBD evacuated flood victims to the highlands using rubber boats / Antara

JAKARTA - Residents of two villages in Ogan Komering Ulu Regency, South Sumatra are threatened with isolation due to floods following heavy rains that have hit the local area since Tuesday, March 23.

Head of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Ogan Komering Ulu Regency (OKU), Amzar Kristopa, through the Coordinator of the Center for Disaster Management Operations Control (Pusdalops), Gunalfi explained that the flood disaster was caused by high rainfall that caused the Ogan River to overflow.

He explained that the areas affected by the flood were Tanjung Kemala Village, East Baturaja District and Lubuk Batang Lama, Lubuk Batang District.

Although there were no casualties, it was recorded that 50 houses in the area were hit by floods with water levels ranging from 30 centimeters to three meters.

"The flood also submerged roads in Tanjung Kemala Village with water levels reaching three meters," said Gunalfi in Baturaja, reported by Antara, Wednesday, March 24.

As a result of the natural disaster, he said, hundreds of residents in the two villages were threatened with isolation, so they had to be evacuated using rubber boats.

"There are about 44 heads of families (KK) that we evacuated to the highlands so that there are no casualties," he said.

He appealed to people who were still at home for a while to evacuate to a safer place to anticipate further flooding.

Because, he continued, based on early warning from BMKG, OKU Regency still has the potential for heavy rain accompanied by strong winds for the next few days.

"We also continue to monitor the development of the BMKG satellite and conduct patrols in flood-prone areas in OKU Regency," he said.