We must increase our vigilance, especially for people going for the year-end holidays. Do not forget to check the weather forecastJakarta (ANTARA) - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reminds people, especially those headed for the year-end holidays, to always check the weather forecast as an effort to watch for hydrometeorological disasters due to the rainy season.
Head of the BNPB Data, Information, and Communication Center, Abdul Muhari, stated that there were three areas of concern due to the dense population: Java from the center to the west, Sulawesi from the center to the south, and eastern Papua from the central to the south.
"We must increase our vigilance, especially for people going for the year-end holidays. Do not forget to check the weather forecast," he stated during a press conference regarding a disaster briefing here, Monday.
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Muhari noted that from December 12 to December 18, the agency recorded a total of 45 disasters that occurred in Indonesia, dominated by hydrometeorological disasters, with 22 incidents of floods, 14 incidents of extreme weather, eight landslides, and one earthquake.
The disasters that struck 10 provinces killed one person; injured 18 people; submerged 6,742 houses; and destroyed 620 houses, three educational facilities, 34 worship facilities, and one bridge, he added.
He noted that Indonesia has currently entered the third week of December, thereby translating to the fact that normally, the region has entered the rainy season, with monsoons being experienced.
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Despite Indonesia having borne witness to several hydrometeorological disaster events from October to November 2022, the public must remain alert to another potential hydrometeorological disaster, he noted.
"Moreover, we must be vigilant for any potential disaster from January to February next year that might be the peak of the rainy season," he stated.
He further appealed to local governments to prepare for handling and mitigation as an anticipatory step for a disaster, especially in West Java, Central Java, and East Java that are areas prone to flooding and landslides.
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Translator: Sugiharto Purnama, Resinta S
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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