Four bridges were heavily damaged due to flooding in Kupang district, causing transportation access to be cut offKupang, E Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA) - The Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) has reported that four bridges in Kupang District, Timor Island, have been damaged in the flood that hit the region earlier this week.
"Four bridges were heavily damaged due to flooding in Kupang district, causing transportation access to be cut off," Chief Executive of the NTT BPBD, Ambrosius Kodo, informed here on Saturday.
He conveyed the information in relation to the impact of hydrometeorological disasters on public facilities in NTT during the period from December 24, 2022, to January 4, 2023.
According to Kodo, apart from the bridges, one road and eleven other public facilities were also damaged in the flood.
Damage to the bridges, for example, the bridge in Oelatimo village, which is on the route connecting Sulamu and Kupang, had earlier cut off transportation between regions in the local district, he said.
Nevertheless, emergency response in the form of constructing an alternative crossing route has been carried out with the support of various parties, including the police.
Another damaged bridge on the Takari-Lelogama route has been repaired by the local government so that it can be used again, he added.
Meanwhile, bridges that have suffered severe damage and cannot be repaired in a short time will be handled by the regional government.
He asked NTT residents to increase alertness in facing the threat of extreme weather, such as heavy rains and strong winds that can cause hydrometeorological disasters.
"The community should stay alert and anticipate the impact of disasters that cause damage or threaten personal safety," he said.
Earlier on Friday, Kodo informed that 396 houses in NTT have been damaged in hydrometeorological disasters in the period from December 2022 to early January 2023.
The damaged houses are spread across several districts, such as Kupang, South Timor Tengah, Belu, Rote Ndao, Alor, Lembata, East Flores, Sikka, and Manggarai, he said.
Of the 396 houses, 169 have been severely damaged, 71 have been moderately damaged, and 156 have been slightly damaged.
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Translator: Aloysius Lewokeda, Raka Adji
Editor: Sri Haryati
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