TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Navy ship brings food, evacuates hundreds from East Java island amid bad weather
The Indonesian Navy sent Thursday hospital ship KRI Soeharso-990 to bring logistics and to evacuate hundreds of residents and tourists stranded on Bawean Island off the coast of East Java amid bad weather.
Change Size
Soldiers load supplies onto the KRI Soeharso hospital ship at Bali’s Benoa Port in September 2018. (The Jakarta Post/Zul Trio Anggono)
T
he Indonesian Navy sent hospital-ship KRI Soeharso-990 to bring logistics and to evacuate hundreds of residents and tourists stranded on Bawean Island off the coast of East Java amid bad weather on Thursday.
The ship departed from the Second Fleet Command Base in Tanjung Perak, Surabaya, East Java, with food supply, power generators and around 500 people heading for the island, which is located about 150 kilometers north of Surabaya.
Gresik regent Fandi Akhmad Yani on Tuesday sent a letter to the Navy asking for help after bad weather and high waves made transportation to and from the island impossible.
Fandi said ferry trips between Gresik port and Bawean have been stopped, and flights between Surabaya and Bawean have been canceled due to rains, thunderstorms and strong winds.
“This has caused delay in food distribution, residents’ evacuation and delivery of compressed natural gas for the power plant in Bawean,” the regent said.
In a press statement on Wednesday, the Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) warned that more heavy rain was expected to affect provinces across the country until Dec. 30, with Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) having been put on high alert for such weather conditions.
The BMKG said the elevated rainfall in these provinces could trigger floods and flash floods, as well as landslides, especially in slopes or other areas of high elevation.
According to a warning posted by the BMKG on its Twitter account, Jakarta residents are to expect a full day of rain, ranging from light rain to thunderstorms, throughout Thursday.
Previously, the BMKG said there was high potential for more severe weather until at least Jan. 2. All of Java’s provinces, along with Bali, NTT and NTB were likely to experience heavy or very heavy rainfall over the time period. (dre)
