With the threat of floods looming over Jakarta until next month, people are gearing up for further disaster.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned that medium to heavy rain with thunderstorms and strong winds would occur across the city until next month as the rainy season reaches its peak in the last week of February and the first week of March. It also predicted that this year’s rainy season in Jakarta would be harsher than last year’s, with the highest rainfall having been recorded at 377 millimeters per day on New Year’s Eve.

Ratna Dewi, a 26-year old living in a two-story house in Mampang Prapatan, South Jakarta, said she had been used to floodwater inundating her house during the rainy season since her childhood, so the heavy flood on New Year's Eve that reached her thigh had come as no surprise to her.

Every time such disaster struck, she and her family were ready to save their furniture and electronic devices.

“My father has been living in the city his entire life, and he has developed a sixth sense to detect any type of rain that could cause flooding,” Ratna said.

Her family will keep expensive home appliances like the washing machine, television and refrigerator upstairs until next month, as her father fears heavy flooding may reoccur.

Reza Karnaen, a 31-year old living in a boarding house in Kebon Baru, South Jakarta, has stored his motorcycle at his parents’ house in Bogor, West Java, since earlier this month to prevent any possible damage caused by
raising water.

The New Year’s Eve flood, which displaced at least 27,971 people due to all-night extreme rain, had submerged his motorcycle, costing him Rp 2.8 million (US$200) to replace the engine.

“Since I heard that heavy rain was likely to occur until March, I thought I’d better keep my motorcycle safe in my parents’ house and instead use ojek [motorcycle taxis] for my daily commute,” Reza said.

Torrential rain battered the city overnight on Monday to cause mild to severe flooding on Tuesday morning that paralyzed traffic on several major streets.

The floods had forced 3,565 people from 973 families out of their homes as of 12 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency. A total of 294 community units across the capital were affected by floods.

Some residents, meanwhile, are afraid to leave their homes during floods because they worry about thieves breaking into their properties.

Zainur Amirullah, a 40-year-old resident of Kebon Pala, East Jakarta, said he had always moved his family and precious belongings to his in-laws’ house in Pinang Ranti before floods reached his house in the past.

This time, however, he was considering staying at home to secure his property, because he fears that flood will come unexpectedly due to the extreme weather conditions.

“Until the depth of the floodwaters reaches the height of my thighs, I might consider staying at home to prevent important belongings, such as my personal computer, camera and television from being stolen,” Zainur said on Tuesday.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency head Doni Monardo has called on residents in flood-prone areas across the city to immediately evacuate upon receiving warnings and not to wait for floodwater to enter their houses.

"If they wait for their homes to be flooded, it is difficult for rescue teams to evacuate everyone. We have limited resources. So, it would be better if they practice self-evacuation to any nearby shelter even before floods inundate their homes," he said recently.

The BMKG's weather forecast department head Miming Saepudin predicted that heavy rain would hit North Jakarta, East Jakarta, and Central Jakarta at night, while the same intensity of rain was expected in South Jakarta in the afternoon.

“This is a distinctive characteristic of the rainy season in Jakarta, considering that the weather conditions in the northern part of the capital are heavily influenced by thermal dynamics from the Java Sea, while weather in the southern part of the city is more influenced by mountains to the south of Jakarta,” he said.

“We are advising Jakartans living in those areas to remain alert amid disasters caused by the weather, such as floods and heavy winds.” (glh)

— Nina A. Loasana contributed to this story.

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