The rising sea temperature in the Indian Ocean south of Indonesia had led to the formation of the cyclone Vince which is marked by gales, high sea waves, whirlwinds and flash floods in several parts of the country.
Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) official Edvin Aldrian said in Jakarta on Thursday that although the gale-force wind would head in southeastern direction to Australia, the storm`s tail would be felt among other things in Sumatra, Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara.
Therefore, he called on the people of Indonesia to be wary of the phenomenon of extreme hot sea temperatures, especially in the southern part of the country.
Meanwhile, a weather analyst said on Friday that the cyclone Vince which had been building up since Wednesday (January 12) in the Indian Ocean, or about 870 kilometers south of Cilacap in Central Java, had started to move eastward.
"The weather phenomenon is heading to the east, away from Indonesia at a speed of 11 knots or 20 kilometers per hour," Teguh Wardoyo, a weather analyst at the Cilacap meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency, said on Friday.
Earlier in the day, a whirlwind triggered by the cyclone, damaged at least 48 houses at Ujungmanik village, Kawunganten sub district, Cilacap District, in Central Java.
Ujungmanik village head Suparman said eight houses were seriously damaged and 40 others lightly after being hit by the whirlwind, accompanied by heavy downpour.
It was reported from Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) on Saturday that cyclone Vince, which started on January 12, had hit the province but it was predicted to last in a week and then to move away from the Equator.
Kupang`s (BMKG) spokesman Purwanto said that although the cyclone would not last long, the people of NTT, especially those in the islands of Sabu, Sumba, and Timor had been warned to remain on guard because they were feared to bear the brunt of its impact.
Purwanto said cyclone Vince would trigger rainfall intensity from mild to moderate, strong with with the speed of 40 km/hour with a potential to create whirlwind, and 4 to 6-meter high waves in East Nusa Tenggara waters.
On Friday a whirlwind devastated at least 50 houses in Maulafa subdistrict in Kupang city.
There was no fatality in the natural phenomenon but it inflicted a material loss of hundreds of millions of rupiah on the local people because the houses were seriously damaged and some of them were even thrown up into the air.
Mikael Rule, one of the residents whose houses were elevated said the whirlwind had left hundreds of other houses without electricity for several hours.
Mikael said when the whirlwind struck, his wife and two children were at home while he himself was in the garden.
"My wife and two children were trapped in the ruin but thank God they were safe and unharmed," Mikael said.
He expressed hope that the Kupang city administration could rebuild his house which has been elevated by the whirlwind.
"We have now nowhere to live, and in such a situation we badly need the local government`s assistance to rebuild our house," Mikael added.
Landslides and similar whirlwind also hit Oepura and Merdeka villages in Kupang where tens of houses were destroyed, while at
Waioti village in Sikka district, 50 houses were inundated by sea water because of around 6-meter tidal waves on Wednesday.
Sikka district disaster management spokesman Zakarias Heriando Siku said of the 50 inundated by the sea water, two were swept away by the tidal waves.
And in Belu district, flood waters reaching a hight of up to two meters inundated tens of houses on Thursday and Friday.
Triggered by the overflow of the Rotiklot river in Kakuluk Mesak subdistrict, the floods forced a number of local residents to evacuate safer areas.
Belu district head Arnold Bria said on Friday that incessant heavy rains have fallen in NTT for more than a week, and BMKG predicted that the province would be affected by above-normal precipitation during January.
The floods in NTT has destroyed 85 hectares of agricultural farms, damaged 185 ha others, and killed several goats, chicken and pigs.
Meanwhile, in South Sulawesi, floods have hit the districts of Barru, Pangkep, Maros, Bone, Gowa, Takalar, and Kota Makassar for two days.
On Thursday in Bondowoso, East Java, whirlwind also damaged 546 houses at four villages of Kupang, Andongsari, Gadingsari, and Petung in Pakem subdistrict.
Head of Bondowoso Disaster Management Office (BPBD) Abdurrahman said the whirlwind hit four villages in Pakem Sub-district and damaged hundreds of houses there.
He said 546 houses were damaged; 92 were heavily, 263 were moderately, and 191 were lightly.
In addition, 104 houses and buildings were also destroyed by the whirlwind, which lasted for two days from Wednesday to Thursday at Sumenep district in Madura island, East Java.
Sumenep social services spokesman Arif Santoso said that based on an official report, the whirlwind had damaged more than a hundred houses and buildings at a number of villages in eight sub-districts.
"Besides obtaining official report from village heads, we also go to the field to get first hand information and to take data about the disaster," Arif said.
He said the strong wind swept through four villages in Kalianget subdistrict, one village in Talango subdistrict, two villages in Rubaru subdistrict, five villages in Ambunten subdistrict, three villages in Lenteng subdistrict, four villages in Ganding subdistrict, one village in Guluk-Guluk subdistrict, and one village in Batu Putih subdistrict.(*)
Reporter: Otniel Tamindael
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
