Makassar, S Sulawesi (ANTARA) - A whirlwind ravaged 1,240 houses in Sidenreng Rappang (Sidrap) District, South Sulawesi Province, and afflicted injuries on two local residents on Tuesday, Deputy South Sulawesi Governor Andi Sudirman Sulaiman stated.

The injured survivors were identified as Jumadil, 12, and Khumaera, 9. In helping those severely affected by this catastrophe, the South Sulawesi provincial administration's social affairs office and disaster mitigation agency had distributed relief aid packages, he stated here on Wednesday.

The related agencies had coordinated for mitigation and recovery efforts. Several damaged houses would have been rebuilt and repaired, he explained.

Batulappa Village Head Mansyur expressed gratitude to the provincial government for its prompt emergency response while also lauding the immediate visit undertaken by Deputy Governor Andi Sudirman Sulaiman and his team members to check on the condition of the affected villagers.

The provincial government is expected to care for all affected by the whirlwind since several residents had incurred material losses, he stated.

Several parts of Indonesia were swamped by flash floods and landslides in early January. Indonesia's capital city, Jakarta, is one of the disaster zones.

According to the Jakarta provincial administration, 15 percent of the capital city's areas were swamped by this early January's flash floods.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) noted that the flash floods and landslides, striking in early January, had claimed over 60 lives.

The flooding swamped a wide range of areas in various sub-districts in the provinces of Jakarta, West Jakarta, and Banten, the agency's spokesman, Agus Wibowo, noted in a press statement.

The flash floods, caused by high-intensity rainfall over the past three days, swamped several areas of 18 sub-districts in Bekasi District, 17 sub-districts in Jakarta, and 13 sub-districts in Bogor District and Tangerang City respectively.

The disaster also affected 12 sub-districts in Bekasi City, 11 sub-districts in Depok City, and six sub-districts in Lebak District, Bogor City, and Tangerang Selatan City respectively, Wibowo stated.

Consequently, floodwaters, submerging houses, led to the forced displacement of 149,537 residents of Bekasi City in West Java Province. They were accommodated at 97 temporary shelters.

Related news: Death toll climbs to 46 in early 2020 floods, landslides

As of Wednesday, three villages in Sukajaya Sub-district, West Java Province, remain isolated after their road access was buried by a landslide. The ill-fated villages are Cileuksa, Urug, and Kiarasari.

In easing the burden of Cileuksa villagers, several personnel of the 315 Garuda Infantry Battalion begin building 15 temporary shelters using bamboo materials for them on Wednesday.

The army personnel were assisted by the villagers to set up the shelters, Commander of the 0621/Bogor District Military Command Lt Col Harry Eko Sutrisno stated.

On Tuesday, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) paid a visit to Harkat Jaya Village in Sukajaya Sub-district to meet those afflicted by the recent landslide and handed Rp100 million cash and staple food packages.

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EDITED BY INE

Translator: Abdul Kadir, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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