"A total of 315 districts and cities in Indonesia could be hit by floods."Situbondo (ANTARA News) - Flash flood hit 500 houses in Situbondo district, East Java, last Saturday night, Situbondo District`s Chief of Disaster Mitigation Agency Zainul Arifin said.
"A three-meter high flash flood inundated 500 houses in Situbondo yesterday. It also paralyzed traffic from Java island to Bali island and vice versa. Fortunately no casualties being reported so far," he said adding that traffic is now back to normal.
He explained related officials are still collecting data about material losses suffered by the local people. Humanitarian aids such as rice and other basic needs have been distributed to the people living in the impacted area.
Earlier spokesperson for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said some parts of Indonesia could be hit by landslides and floods as the country is entering rainy season starting from November 2012 until March 2013.
"A total of 315 districts and cities in Indonesia could be hit by floods. 60.9 million people could be affected as a result. In addition, 270 districts and cities in Indonesia could be hit by flash floods," he said.
Sutopo added that Indonesia is more likely to be hit by hydro-meteorological disasters such as floods, landslides, whirlwinds, droughts and high tides, than geological, social and biological disasters.
According to him, global warming results in hydro-meteorological disasters.
Sutopo said apart from landslides and floods, cold lava floods may occur near Mount Merapi (Yogyakarta province), Mount Gamalama (North Maluku), Mount Bromo (East Java), Mount Lokon and Mount Soputan (North Sulawesi).
(Uu.A051/KR-BSR/F001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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