Floods Hit Gorontalo Regency, 275 Families Affected

Floods in Gorontalo Regency/DOK BNPB

JAKARTA - Floods hit the residents of Gorontalo Regency, Gorontalo again. The flood was triggered by heavy rains and the discharge of the Paguyuman River, one of the largest rivers in the province.

Previously, the same incident also occurred in Bone Bolango Regency on Thursday, September 9.

This time the flood in Gorontalo Regency inundated three villages, namely Tolite Village in Boliyohuto District, Juria in Bilato and Molohu in Tolangohula. A total of 275 families or 929 residents in these three villages were affected by the flood. The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Gorontalo Regency reported that there were no fatalities or injuries due to the flood.

Plt. Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center Abdul Muhari said when the flood occurred, the water level as high as 30 cm to 80 cm submerged 267 residents' houses. There was no major damage from the flood.

"BPBD Gorontalo Regency responded to this incident by deploying personnel from the Rapid Response Team (TRC) for emergency handling. Personnel are alerted to carry out monitoring and data collection. TRC is also on standby if there are residents who must be evacuated to a safe place," he said in a written statement, Friday, September 17.

Responding to the weather forecast from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, the forecast for the start of the rainy season this year, the Gorontalo region is predicted to enter from September to November 2021.

Based on the BMKG weather forecast, three sub-districts have a chance of light rain on Sunday, September 19. Meanwhile, according to the InaRISK analysis, Gorontalo province has 17 sub-districts that are potentially flood hazard with moderate to high categories. The three sub-districts are included in the area with this potential.

Judging from the BNPB data during the 2015-2020 period, flood events in Gorontalo Regency were recorded 20 times. During that period, the flood claimed the lives of 4 residents and 1 was missing, while 5 units of houses were damaged and 30 public facilities were damaged.

Facing the rainy season, BNPB appealed to local governments and communities to increase preparedness and vigilance against potential hydrometeorological hazards, such as floods, flash floods, landslides and strong winds.

Community preparedness can assist in informing early warnings through living local wisdom, such as informing high rainfall upstream to those living in lower or downstream areas.