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West Sumatra declares 14-day emergency following flood, lahars
Provincial authorities have declared a 14-day state of emergency in West Java to allow time for the allocation of resources to expedite disaster mitigation processes, including evacuating residents and disbursing aid.
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Two uniformed students walk atop rubble on May 15, 2024 past a collapsed school in Agam, one of the regions that were worst affected when flash floods and lahars struck West Sumatra on May 11. (Antara/Iggoy el Fitra)
W
est Sumatra authorities have declared a state of emergency in the province following flash floods and lahars over the weekend that killed dozens of people and destroyed hundreds of homes.
The emergency status declared on Monday would last until May 26, said Ilham Wahab, spokesperson of the West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).
“Declaring a state of emergency is necessary to speed up the disaster mitigation process, including victim evacuation and aid distribution,” Ilham said on Wednesday, as quoted by Kompas.com.
Hours of heavy rain on Saturday triggered flash floods, landslides and lahars, a fluid mass of water and volcanic debris from nearby Mount Marapi. The volcano has seen increased activity over the past few months, including an eruption in December 2023 that killed more than 20 people.
The disaster has affected at least six regencies and cities, including the most severely affected regencies of Agam and Tanah Datar. In addition to destroying more than 200 houses and dozens of rice fields, flooding has also cut off the main access road between the provincial capital of Padang and Bukittinggi.
Read also: Weather anomaly causes deadly flash flooding, lahars in W. Sumatra
As of Wednesday, the official toll recorded at least 67 fatalities and 44 injured, with at least 989 households affected by the flood.
