"BNPB has distributed 500 food packages, which include rice, (canned) sardines, soy sauce, tea, sugar, and cooking oil," head of emergency and logistics at the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) of Demak district, Suprapto, said in a written statement received on Thursday.
The number of food packages is in accordance with the number of residents at evacuation locations, and the packages have been distributed directly to the targeted recipients.
Apart from the assistance from BNPB, as many as 200 logistics packages from the provincial government of Central Java have been distributed to several villages in coastal areas.
According to him, the Demak BPBD is helping transport flood-affected residents using evacuation trucks.
"We are also supporting the transportation of affected residents, such as teaching staff and students, by using evacuation trucks," he said.
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There are several people who are still staying at a number of evacuation locations: 30 residents are in Mijen sub-district, 32 in Batu village, 195 in Preampelan village, and 17 in Cangkringrembang village, he added. Health services have been provided to evacuees.
Currently, the floodwaters have started to subside but not significantly.
The floods, which have been recorded in Demak district area since December 31, 2022, have inundated around 39,240 houses and caused slight damage to 45 houses, moderate damage to 40 houses, and severe damage to 24 houses.
The floods have also inundated 3 schools, 5 places of worship, 5,931 hectares of paddy fields, and 2,519 hectares of ponds.
Based on the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency’s (BMKG’s) forecast, Demak district will experience cloudy weather and light rain from January 4–6, 2023.
The BMKG has appealed to the regional government and the community to remain alert against the potential for more floods due to inclement weather.
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Translator: Devi Nindy, Raka Adji
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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