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Cyclone Cempaka leaves at least 41 dead
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Members of the Klaten Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD) and volunteers use a rubber dinghy to reach innundated areas in Tlingsing Village, Klaten, Central Java, to evacuate residents on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017. (Antara/Aloysius Jarot)
T
ropical cyclone Cempaka, which ravaged Java island since late last month, has claimed dozens of lives and forced thousands to evacuate following floods, landslides and strong winds in 28 regencies and municipalities on Indonesia’s most populated island.
At least 41 people have died or been declared missing, a spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said, detailing that Pacitan in East Java had faced the most casualties with 25 victims, followed by Yogyakarta with 10, four in Wonogiri and two in Wonosobo and Purworejo in Central Java. The agency also recorded that at least 13 people had been injured following incidents caused by the stormy weather.
“There are 28,190 evacuees currently staying in shelters,” he said on Tuesday as reported by kompas.com.
BNPB also estimated that economic losses from the cyclone reached Rp 1 trillion (US$ 70 million) from damages to infrastructure, residential areas, the productive economy and various other sectors. The cyclone, which formed in late November off the southern coast of Java, also damaged nearly 5,000 houses, 36 bridges, 21 schools and inundated some 3,212 houses that lay in its wake.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has reported that the cyclone has moved away from Indonesia.
Meanwhile, the Yogyakarta administration has decided to end the emergency status it enacted last week after the cyclone wreaked havoc in several regencies and municipalities in the province.
“But we will remain alert, especially as the rainy season is predicted to last until the beginning of next year,” the head of Yogyakarta city National Disaster Mitigation Office Agus Winarto said as reported by Antaranews.com. (vla/rin)
