TEMPO.CO, Brebes - Flash floods have inundated the village of Adisana in Brebes' Bumiayu District in Central Java on Saturday evening, June 18, 2016 - destroying scores of paddy fields in the area. The floods struck after a heavy showers fell for an entire day. "As a result, the rivers and creeks around the area burst its' banks - and destroyed the levees at the village of Penggarutan," said Adisana Village Chief, Komarudin, on Sunday, June 19, 2016.
The flash floods suddenly inundated scores of homes at around 17:30 Western Indonesia Time (WIB) across three neighbourhood units (RT), namely RT 005, 006, and 007 in Community Unit (RW) 001 on Saturday evening, before slowly subsiding at around 23:00 WIB. Five hectares of paddy fields - which were about to be harvested - were destroyed as a result of the flash floods.
Furthermore, the main access road to the village of Adisana was also damaged by the floods - that said, no casualties have been reported. "The floods did not cause heavy damages to local residents' homes," said Komarudin.
The damage to main access road had also severed access between the village of Cilibur and Plompong in Paguyangan District - forcing vehicles to be re-routed through alternative routes. The flash floods also destroyed some two kilometres of irrigation channels, as well as clean water distribution pipes that serves the district of Bumiayu. "Damages are estimated to be around Rp200 million," said Komarudin.
The heavy showers that have persisted across Brebes have also inundated scores of homes in the sub-district of Kauman in Brebes, after the Pemali river bursts its' banks - causing floods with depth ranging between 50-100 centimetres.
Brebes' Coordinator for Search-and-Rescue (SAR), Ade Dhani, said that his officers are still surveying the locations to pinpoint the exact number of residents and households that are affected by the floods. "To date, reports of flooding of up to 1 metre are still coming in," said Dhani. "That said, many are choosing to stay within their homes."
MUHAMMAD IRSYAM FAIZ
