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Disaster preparedness increased as rainy season begins
Entering the rainy season, the South Sulawesi Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) is preparing to deal with seasonal natural disasters, including floods and landslides
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ntering the rainy season, the South Sulawesi Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) is preparing to deal with seasonal natural disasters, including floods and landslides.
Agency head Syamsibar said he had conducted a coordination meeting with all BPBD on the regency and city level across the province for the same disaster preparedness.
Coordination with other relevant agencies, such as social affairs agencies, health agencies and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), had also been made, he said.
'Every year during the rainy season floods and landslides always occur in a number of regions in South Sulawesi. We need to get prepared for that earlier,' said Syamsibar, who is currently acting regent of Selayar.
Among the efforts made, he said, included the dissemination of information on disaster preparedness, such as to not panic in time of disaster, to prioritize self and family safety, to prepare evacuation tools and tents, as well as health, social and supply posts.
In South Sulawesi, according to Syamsibar, there were 18 regencies and cities considered prone to floods. They included Makassar, Maros, the Pangkajene Islands, Barru, Wajo, Sinjai, Bulukumba, Palopo, Luwu and North Luwu.
Three other regencies, namely Tana Toraja, North Toraja and Gowa, were prone to landslides, he added.
The head of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Region IV Makassar, Sujarwo, said the region was currently still in a transitional period from dry to rainy seasons.
He said rains had occasionally started to pour over some regions, such as Makassar that has had a rainfall of only 50 millimeters. He said the rainy season in the province was predicted to start by the end of this month or the beginning of next month.
He warned people to be cautious because during the transitional period rain normally came along with strong winds and lightning and tornados could possibly come at any time to sweep away people's houses.
'We have to be alert starting from now,' Sujarwo said.
Meanwhile, floods inundated Muara Teweh in North Barito regency, Central Kalimantan because of the overflowing Bengaris River, a tributary of the Barito River, following heavy rain in the area from Tuesday night until early Wednesday morning.
'The floods have inundated the houses since Wednesday morning, but started to subside at about 11:30 a.m.,' Tedy Sambas of Jl. Ronggolawe, Muara Teweh, said on Wednesday, adding that the floods left mud behind.
Other areas submerged by floods included Jl. Simpang Pramuka II, Jl. Wira Praja and the Mekar Indah residential complex, Antara reported.
Tedy said that the floods only inundated the housing areas for five to six hours, but they could last longer if the Barito River overflows.
'If the water level of the Barito increases, the flood would surely last longer because the Bengaris' water could not flow out,' he said.
The head of BMKG Muara Teweh's technical personnel group, Sunardi, said the heavy rain that caused flooding in the regency totalled 134 millimeters.
'The BMKG recorded that the rain only fell for about two hours, but it was really heavy,' he said.
On Tuesday, hundreds of houses in Rokan Hulu regency in Riau and Gorontalo were hit by floods.
The high rainfall in the regency prompted a number of rivers to overflow and engulf the buildings.
