Since October 2020, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had issued early warnings of potential extreme weather-related conditions due to various phenomena feared to coincide with the rainy seasoJakarta (ANTARA) - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) confirmed that a total of 372 natural disasters had impacted Indonesia since early this year, leading to 216 deaths and inflicting injuries to 12,056 others.
The natural disasters comprised 227 incidents of flooding, 66 incidents of whirlwinds, 60 incidents of landslides, seven instances of earthquake, seven occurrences of high tides or abrasions, and four incidents of land and forest fires, according to the BNPB data updated as of February 9, 2021.
The data also indicated that 4,452 houses had incurred serious damage, 5,336 houses suffered moderate damage, 37,569 houses incurred light damage, and 357,365 houses were flooded, thereby inflicting suffering on 1,769,309 people, who had to take refuge.
The natural disasters also destroyed 1,290 public facilities while caused flooding in 200 others.
As of February 8, 2021, at least seven people were still missing owing to the natural disasters.
Hydrometeorological disasters, such as floods, landslides, and whirlwinds, occurred simultaneously in several parts of the country during the peak of the ongoing rainy season that usually starts in September or October and ends in March or April.
"Since October 2020, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had issued early warnings of potential extreme weather-related conditions due to various phenomena feared to coincide with the rainy season," BMKG Head Dwikorita Karnawati stated recently.
The major disasters to strike in January 2021 were landslides in Sumedang, West Java, on January 9; a 6.2-magnitude earthquake in West Sulawesi on January 15; and massive flooding in South Kalimantan, starting January 12.
Torrential rains and unstable soil caused a series of landslides in Sumedang, claiming 19 lives, rendering 11 others missing, injuring 18 others, and displacing over one thousand local residents. Rescuers were also among the deceased.
In West Sulawesi, the earthquake that rocked the districts of Mamuju and Majene on January 15, 2021, claimed at least 105 lives; displaced thousands of people; and destroyed homes, infrastructure, and public facilities.
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