AntaraJayapura (ANTARA) - Certain areas in Sentani, Papua Province, are still undergoing power outages as a result of the recent flash floods and landslides, but the state-owned electricity company, PT PLN, has attempted to accelerate repairs to its high voltage transmission towers, the company's spokesman, I Made Suprateka, said.
Three high voltage transmission towers in Orya area recently damaged by the flash floods were being repaired to restore electricity to the area, Suprateka told journalists in Jayapura on Tuesday.
The fixing of the 70-kilovolt (kV) transmission towers was expected to supply electricity to the houses of local residents who still suffer from a blackout in the aftermath of the disasters, Suprateka said.
Six high voltage transmission towers in the disaster zone got damaged after being inundated by the flash floods, he said, adding that his men kept attempting to repair them to restore PT PLN's electricity supply to the residents' houses.
In the aftermath of the flash floods and landslides that hit Sentani on March 16, 2019, the repairs in certain affected areas were hampered by unfavorable weather conditions and difficulty in accessing the areas that remain inundated by the floodwaters, he said.
Among the villages and housing complex areas that are still undergoing power outages are Sosiri, Doyo Baru, BTN Gajahmada, Bintang Timur, Yabaso Beach, Yakonde, and Telaga Maya, he said.
The flash floods that submerged Sentani recently killed 104 people. According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), 97 of the bodies were found in Jayapura District, while seven others were discovered in Jayapura City.
The catastrophe that occurred after heavy rain hit the Jayapura District area on Saturday night (March 16) also forced 8,773 people to evacuate to higher ground and they were sheltered in 18 different camps.
The flash floods hit Dobonsolo and Hinekombe villages the hardest. As a result, several housing complexes got damaged and many bodies were found there, according to local authorities.
The flash floods destroyed 350 houses, three bridges, eight drainage systems and four sections of roads.
Translator: HD Kandipi, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Eliswan Azly
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
