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View all search resultsWhirlwind damages dozens of houses, injures one in North Sumatra
The torrential rain and whirlwind that struck Medan underscore the increasingly uneven weather patterns across Indonesia, with some parts of the archipelago experiencing intense rainfall even as the dry season expands and intensifies elsewhere.
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Damaged: Residents clean up debris after a whirlwind hit their houses on Feb, 26 in Siboras village, Sumbul district, Dairi regency, North Sumatra. (Tribunnews.com/Tommy Simatupang)
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ozens of homes, public facilities and vehicles were damaged after heavy rain and a whirlwind swept across Medan, North Sumatra, on Tuesday night.
The extreme weather affected eight of the city’s 21 districts, damaging at least 170 homes and injuring one person, according to Irwansyah, head of operational data at the Medan Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).
“The number of damaged homes could still increase because the area affected by the whirlwind was quite extensive, and not all reports have been received,” Irwansyah said on Wednesday.
He said the whirlwind damaged schools and electricity transmission towers in several affected areas.
Masrul Sihombing, a resident of Medan Johor, one of the areas hardest hit by the whirlwind, was forced to seek shelter in an evacuation tent after his home was badly damaged by the extreme weather.
Masrul said heavy rain began pounding his neighborhood at around 7 p.m., followed shortly afterward by powerful, swirling winds that swept through the area.
“The strong winds lasted for quite a while, about half an hour. They uprooted trees and sent roof sheets flying from residents’ houses. Part of my house was left exposed after the metal roofing was blown away by the whirlwind,” Masrul said.
