Six Fisherman's Houses In East Kotawaringin Destroyed By The Flood

The BPBD East Kotawaringin team together with the Head of Ujung Pandaran Village Aswin Nur monitored the damage to fishermen's settlements due to tidal flooding/Photo: Antara

SAMPIT - Six fishermen's houses in Kalap Hamlet, Ujung Pandaran Village, Teluk Sampit District, East Kotawaringin Regency, Central Kalimantan Province were destroyed by tidal flooding.

"Our team has gone to the location to provide basic food assistance and check the health conditions of the victims," ​​said the Head of the East Kotawaringin Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Rihel in Sampit, Monday 30 May.

Rihel explained that the tidal flood occurred Monday (23/5) at around 12.10 western Indonesia time. Tidal floods or sea tides with a height of about one meter suddenly hit the area.

Local residents managed to save themselves so there were no fatalities. The flood which then receded at around 17.00 western Indonesia time caused five houses to be completely destroyed by the flood due to their poles being pulled out and one house badly damaged.

Rihel said the flood victims were in good health. The BPBD team, accompanied by the Ujung Pandaran Village government, has also recorded conditions at the location.

The houses are slightly separated from the settlement and center of Ujung Pandaran Village. The houses were built simply because they are generally occupied by residents during the harvest season for fishing so that they can easily go to sea.

"The victim is a resident who doesn't live permanently (extinguishes) only during the fish harvest season, which is one to four weeks. The original house is at the intersection of three in Ujung Pandaran Village," Rihel explained, quoted by Antara.

This incident only emerged after a video circulated of the condition of the victims who were said to need help. The victims of the tidal flood fled to the homes of their neighbors who survived the incident.

There was confusion regarding the location of the incident because it was on the border of the Kotawaringin Timur and Seruyan regencies. The East Kotawaringin BPBD even stated that based on the results of their coordination with the Teluk Sampit District Government, the incident was in the Seruyan area.

The Seruyan Regency BPBD also responded to this information by immediately dispatching a team to the scene on Sunday (29/5). The results of the checks made them confirm that the incident was in the East Kotawaringin area.

The Head of BPBD Seruyan Agung Sulistyo said that his party had dispatched a team to inspect the place where the tidal wave occurred which damaged nine houses.

"We have ordered the team to review it, after checking in the field that the scene is at the Head of the East Kotawaringin Regency Branch," said Agung.

Although the incident was in the East Kotawaringin area, his party is also monitoring the condition because it is located close to Sungai Bakau Village which is part of the Seruyan area. People in the Seruyan area are also advised to be aware of the threat of tidal flooding.