Heavy rainfall since Tuesday morning submerged some places in Makassar city, head of the Manggala Police, Commissioner Supriady Idrus, said in Makassar the same day.
"The area of Block X Antang Manggala is indeed prone to flooding, so if there is heavy rain it will be flooded," he added.
The floods stranded 20 families comprising 49 people, including adults, children, elders, and even toddlers, he informed.
They were evacuated to Biola 13 Street, Masjid Jabal Nur Blok X, Manggala village, Manggala sub-district by police, he added.
"For the time being, we have evacuated all the flood victims to the mosque, while waiting for (any changes to check), whether the water recedes or the rain will continue to pour," Idrus said.
He further said officials are still coordinating with Makassar Social Affairs Office regarding other assistance for the flood-affected, such as food, medicines, and blankets.
Police officers will patrol the homes of the residents to prevent looters from taking advantage of the situation, he informed.
The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency, Region IV Makassar, South Sulawesi issued an early warning for moderate to heavy rainfall in South Sulawesi for three days—from February 20 to February 23.
Acting head of the agency, Irwan Slamet, said that the atmospheric dynamics indicated a risk of increased rainfall in the South Sulawesi region.
“The results of the latest analysis show that the MJO (Madden-Julian Oscillation) is active in quadrant 3 and moving towards quadrants 4 and 5 (Maritime Continent),” Slamet informed.
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Translator: M Hasanuddin, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Suharto
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