Flash Floods Sweep 3 Houses In South OKU, South Sumatra

SOUTH SUMATRA - The flood swept three houses in Dusun VII, Sidorahayu Village, Ogan Komering Ulu (OKU) Selatan, South Sumatra (Sumsel) on Friday 10 March at 03.30 WIB.

"Of the 13 housing units of flood victims, three of them were swept away by the flash flood," said Head of Preparedness for the South OKU Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Heri in Muaradua, Friday, March 10, as reported by Antara.

He said the heavy rain that occurred from 03.30 WIB to 05.30 WIB caused the Way Tehmi River to overflow, causing flash floods.

Most of the residents who were fast asleep immediately rushed out of their homes to save themselves from the swift flood currents.

The natural disaster did not cause any casualties, but it was recorded that 13 houses were flooded with water levels reaching 50-100 centimeters.

In fact, three of the residents' houses were swept away by the flash flood currents so that the victims were forced to flee to a safe place.

In addition to residents' houses, the flood also damaged public facilities such as mosques and bridges so that community activities in the area became disrupted.

"The total loss due to this natural disaster is estimated at Rp. 300 million," he explained.

According to him, currently dozens of South OKU BPBD personnel assisted by volunteers are still at the location of natural disasters to record and at the same time help residents clean up the remaining mud material carried by the flash flood.

"Although the flood is starting to recede, residents are still asked to increase their vigilance to anticipate further disasters," he said.

South OKU BPBD established a disaster management post and alerted personnel to monitor the current situation to deal with further flooding.

"Residents must remain vigilant considering the intensity of rainfall is predicted to still occur in South OKU for the next few days," he said.