High Waves And Bad Weather, BPBD Extends Alert Status For Southern Cianjur Region

Illustration-High waves on the southern coast of Cianjur, West Java, still occur (Photo: ANTARA)

CIANJUR - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Cianjur, West Java, has extended the high-wave alert status in the southern region of Cianjur. The extension of this status is an effort to avoid unwanted things, including fatalities.

Secretary of BPBD Cianjur, Irfan Sopyan, said that until now, high waves accompanied by abrasion have hit most of the southern coast of Cianjur, threatening stalls and residents' villages.

"Reports in the past week showed that dozens of fishing boats were damaged and dozens of others were lost by the waves. Even dozens of beachside stalls and dozens of houses in Apra Beach were threatened with abrasion", he said when contacted by Antara, Monday, August 16.

BPBD alerted hundreds of volunteers in 80 villages along the southern coast of Cianjur. Volunteers were asked to monitor wave conditions and immediately evacuate residents if the waves reached the village.

Even residents in villages in the Sindangbarang area are advised to be alert and evacuate immediately if the waves are high. Based on reports and observations of waves reaching dozens of meters.

"We urge volunteers and residents to be alert and evacuate immediately because today's report shows that the waves can reach dozens of meters at night. Meanwhile, beachside shop owners and fishermen have been asked not to approach the beach", he said.

Meanwhile, residents of Apra Beach, Sindangbarang Sub-district, chose to stay away from the beach because of the ongoing abrasion. Even dozens of stalls were heavily damaged and carried away by the waves when night fell.

"About 40 beachfront stalls were dismantled by the owners themselves for fear of being damaged by the waves. Including two stalls belonging to me and my child facing the beach", said Rohimah (38), owner of a beachside shop.

She added that towards nightfall, she and her four children were forced to flee to a relative's house which was far from the beach, to avoid the waves hitting the village which was several hundred meters away from the shoreline.

"In anticipation, we chose to evacuate until the waves returned to normal", she said, echoed by dozens of other residents.