TIMIKA - Deputy Regent of Mimika, Papua, Johannes Rettob, said that the victims of the tidal flood in Atuka and Amar now desperately need building materials such as wood, boards, zinc, plywood, nails and others to repair their damaged houses.
"Assistance or donations in the form of basic necessities may have been quite a lot. What now is really needed by the residents there is donations in the form of materials for the construction of bridges and houses in the form of wood, boards, zinc, plywood, nails and others," said Vice Regent John when contacted in Timika, reported by Antara, Thursday, February 2.
He appreciated the involvement and concern of various parties to help ease the suffering of the residents of Atuka and Amar whose villages were hit by floods accompanied by high waves and strong winds in early January.
Two weeks ago Vice Regent John together with a number of communities visited the Atuka community, one of the locations that was badly damaged by the tidal flood in early January.
Vice Regent John, who was born and raised in Ipaya Village, a village in the coastal area of Mimika, said that the situation of tidal flooding or high tides has become a normal thing for residents who live in Mimika coastal villages.
Moreover, on average the villages are located in a delta flanked left and right by wide rivers and not too far away, some are even right on the shore facing the Arafura Sea.
Even so, catarya, tidal flooding and extreme weather conditions at the beginning of this year were considered extraordinary events.
"In the last two months from December to January there have been several victims of accidents in the sea and rivers, some of which have not been found until now. Residents living on the coast also cannot go fishing in the sea because of strong winds and high waves," he said.
As a result of tidal flooding accompanied by high waves and strong winds in early January, several houses in Amar were swept away by the flood currents and several houses were heavily damaged. The situation is not much different for the residents of Atuka.
The boats belonging to the residents, both made of fiber and wood, the only means commonly used to find fish, shrimp, crabs in the sea and rivers were damaged and destroyed.
The residents on the Mimika coast have experienced extreme climate change, said the Vice Regent, demanding that residents remain vigilant.
The reason is, based on weather forecasts, the Mimika coastal area in June also has the potential to experience tidal flooding with a high tide table reaching 40.
"June is usually the peak of the rainy season in Mimika, as well as the peak of strong winds. Tidal flooding usually only occurs every year in December. But if it is true that later in June there will be another big tidal flood, this needs to be anticipated from now on," he said.
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