Extreme Weather Triggers The Disaster In East Nusa Tenggara

Conditions after flash floods in NTT (via ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Head of Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center for National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB), Raditya Jati, said that the disaster that occurred in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) was the impact of extreme weather. This condition was predicted by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) some time ago.

"The BMKG has released two tropical cyclone seeds that can have an impact on extreme weather. One of them is the potential for heavy rainfall and strong winds in the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) region this week, April 3 to April 9, 2021", said Raditya in his written statement.

Raditya explained that as of Monday, April 5, the BNPB had received the latest information regarding the impact of disasters in a number of areas in NTT. The first disaster was flash floods in East Flores Regency.

Based on information received at 05.00 a.m. local time, temporary data recorded 256 residents who fled at the Nelemawangi Village Hall and a number of other residents who fled at the Nelelamadike Village Hall. There are still 24 missing residents and 44 people who have died. Meanwhile, those who have been injured have received medical treatment.

A total of nine villages spread across four districts were affected by this incident. The eight villages are Nelemadike and Nelemawangi Villages (Ile Boleng District), Waiburak Village and Waiwerang Village (East Adonara), Oyang Barang and Pandai Village (Wotan Ulu Mado), and Duwanur, Waiwadan and Daniboa Villages (Adonara Barat).

Meanwhile, 17 units of houses were washed away, 60 submerged in mud, and 5 broken bridges. Raditya said that the local Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) continues to collect data and verify the impact of victims and damage to infrastructure.

"Several obstacles are faced in supporting emergency handling efforts. The BPBD of East Flores Regency informs the main access through sea crossings, while rain, wind, and wave conditions endanger ship shipping. On the other hand, the evacuation of victims buried in the mud is still constrained by heavy equipment", he explained.

Meanwhile, the next disaster occurred in East Sumba Regency, NTT. The flood occurred on Sunday, April 4 at around 10.00 a.m. local time.

Raditya said that the heavy rain for several days had caused the local river to overflow. As a result, there were four districts that were affected by the flood, namely Kambera, Pandawai, Karera, and Wulawujelu Districts.

"The BPBD of East Sumba Regency informed that 54 families or 165 people were displaced, while 109 families or 475 families were affected", he explained.

Furthermore, disasters also occurred in Lembata Regency. Flash floods due to cold lava from Mount Ile Lewotolok resulted in 11 residents being killed and 16 others missing.

The affected locations are in two sub-districts, namely Ile Ape and East Ile Ape Districts. The villages exposed in these two sub-districts include the Villages of Waowala, Tanjung Batu, Amakala, Jontona, Lamawolo, and Waimatan.

As a result of this incident, the local BPBD has made efforts to quickly assess and rescue the affected residents. In addition, the local government also brought in heavy equipment to clean roads and disaster locations for the smooth search and evacuation process.

It's just that, at this time, the road access to the East Ile Ape District has been cut off so that it cannot be accessed by officers.

Other disasters hit Kupang City, NTT, in the form of strong winds, landslides, tidal floods, and tidal waves. Developments last Sunday, April 4 at 19.00 p.m. local time, several districts were affected by the extreme weather.

As a result of the extreme weather, as many as 743 families or 2.190 residents were affected. In addition, 10 houses were moderately damaged and 15 access points were covered by fallen trees.

"The BPBD Kupang City together with other related agencies have made efforts to deal with the emergency at the disaster site", said Raditya.

The BNPB also received reports of disasters in Central Malacca and Ngada Districts. Strong winds occurred in two sub-districts in Ngada Regency. The affected villages are in the Kelurahan Kisantara, Lebijaga, Bajawa, Tanalodu (Bajawa District) and Kelurahan (Riung).

The impact of the high wind incident consisted of 6 affected households and 1 seriously injured. Meanwhile, the losses were in the form of 2 units moderately damaged houses and 4 units severely damaged, 1 unit moderately damaged court building, 1 unit sunk ship, and 6 road sections covered by fallen trees.