SEMENEP - A tornado hit Sumenep Regency, East Java Province (Jatim), Saturday, April 3 this afternoon at around 13:15 WIB. A number of residents' houses in two villages in Kalianget District were reported damaged.

"It happened this afternoon. Currently the Sumenep Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) team is already at the disaster site," said Head of BPBD Sumenep Regency Government, Abd Rahman Riadi when contacted by Antara, Saturday evening.

This tragedy was perpetuated and spread on the social media platforms WhatsApp and Facebook. In the partnership, you can see the wind swirling loudly and a recording of the voices of residents screaming hysterically with fear, while reciting the phrase 'la-ilahalillah'.

Two villages that were hit by a tornado were Pinggir Papas Village and Karanganyar Village, Kalianget District, Sumenep. Temporary data reported by BPBD Sumenep Regency Government, 4 buildings were damaged.

This accident occurred in 20 locations, namely 12 locations in Karanganyar Village and 8 locations in Pinggir Papas Village.

Head of Executive (Kalaksa) BPBD Sumenep Regency Government, Abd Rahman Riadi, explained that Pinggir Papas and Karanganyar Villages are recorded as prone to tornadoes and strong winds.

"What happened this morning was a tornado, not a strong wind, because the wind was twisted," he said.

Whirlwinds are winds that rotate at a speed of more than 63 kilometers per moving in a straight line with a maximum duration of 5 minutes.

Some call this tornado the Leysus Wind, and some call the Bohorok Wind. Madurese, especially in Sumenep Regency, call the tornado the "Palak Taon".

According to Abd Rahman Riadi, tornadoes often occur during the day or evening during the transition season. This wind can destroy anything it hits, because with its vortex, objects that have been passed are lifted and thrown.

Another characteristic of whirlwinds is that they occur suddenly on an area of a very local scale. The wind vortex is similar to an elephant's trunk / vacuum cleaner hose, often occurs during the day and is located in low-lying areas. According to him, Pinggir Papas Village and Karanganyar Village, are located in the lowlands.

"And, usually every season changes, from rainy to dry or vice versa, from rainy to dry dry season. Well, now we want a change of seasons, from rainy to dry," he said.

Based on BPBD records, Kalianget District is one of 14 sub-districts in the region which is prone to natural disasters in the form of strong winds and tornadoes.

Other districts that are also prone to tornadoes, Kota, Saronggi, Bluto, Guluk-Guluk, Pasongsongan, Dasuk, Rubaru, Praga, Ambunten, Masalembu, Arjasa, Sapeken and Kangayan Districts


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