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Monthly Humanitarian Update - December 2011

Countries
Indonesia
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

Natural Disasters

The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported in November that some parts of the country just entered the rainy season in December including various parts of Java (Tangerang, Bekasi, Karawang, Indramayu, Lamongan, Sidoarjo, Pasuruan, Probolinggo, Situbondo, Bondowoso, Banyuwangi, Madura), East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, and Papua. BMKG, in collaboration with Water Resource Office of Public Works Ministry and Coordinating Agency for Survey and National Mapping (BAKOSURTANAL), has also forecasted rains and a high possibilty of floods in several areas across the country during January 2012. In view of potential floods, Government of Indonesia has strengthened emergency preparedness measures in highly prone areas such as Jakarta, West Java, (Bandung), Central Java and East Java since the beginning of the month.

Flooding affected several parts of Indonesia during December, with the worst case occuring in Sigi District, Southeast Sulawesi where heavy rain triggered flash flood and swept houses on 3 December 2011. It claimed five lives, with one person reported missing while another 412 people were temporarily displaced. Thirty six houses were destroyed, 46 lightly damaged, 1 school severely damaged, and another one village hall severely damaged. National and Local Agencies for Disaster Management responded the situation. Also on 3 December, another flash flood swept away 59 houses and 6 bridges in Pati District, Central Java, claiming 2 lives, displacing 100 famililes, and causing severe damages to 54 houses. No emergency state was declared by the local government due to the floods. In other parts of the country, heavy rain triggered flash floods, causing 2 fatalities on 17 December 2011 in Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara. Heavy rain was also reported to cause flooding which inundated houses in 10 Sub Districts of Aceh Timur, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, on 19 December.

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