W

ith his pants rolled up to his knees, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, accompanied by Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and high-ranking officials, toured the Presidential Palace complex, surveying possible damage from floodwaters approximately 30-centimeters deep.

Yudhoyono had every reason to be concerned about the inundation coming as it did only hours before the state visit of Argentinean President Cristina Fernandez De Kirchner. A meeting between Yudhoyono and the visiting president had to be postponed for two hours to allow the palace to be dried out.

By the time the Argentinean delegation arrived, the palace was ready to host the guest, thanks to pumps that had been working nonstop since morning.

Marty’s sartorial choices raised eyebrows as he waded barefoot through the waters with his pant legs rolled up but still wearing his jacket and tie. Yudhoyono, in his pyjamas, seemed more relaxed as they toured the palace.

Other officials also had to drop the formalities due to the inundation. Communications and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring, for instance, eventually abandoned his official car and walked to the palace, braving a flooded Jl. Thamrin, after his car was stuck in the traffic for more than an hour. Presidential foreign affairs spokesman Teuku Faizasyah also said he was stuck in the traffic for over four hours before reaching the palace.

As the water levels rose the severity of the situation became clear. Soon after the Fernandez meeting, the President, First Lady Ani Yudhoyono and several Cabinet members took a boat tour of the city to visit people displaced by the overflowing Ciliwung River.

The tour started under the Kalibata overpass in Rawajati Subdistrict, South Jakarta. Hundreds of displaced residents were surprised by Yudhoyono’s visit and soon complained about their conditions.

When Yudhoyono and his ministers boarded a military Sea Rider boat and moved off to Cawang, East Jakarta, Ani decided to stay behind and inspected a community health center and an open kitchen.

“Jakarta, once again after the big deluge in 2007, has suffered this disaster. All over the city people are suffering from this flood, including at the Palace, my office, which was also inundated this morning. The government is working hard. I have told relevant officials and agencies to take immediate action,” Yudhoyono told reporters following his boat tour.