Indonesia, Flooding in West Seram Regency (Maluku)

JAKARTA – Floods hit Eti Village, West Seram District, West Seram Regency, Maluku Province on Wednesday (17/8) in the morning. The incident occurred due to the overflow of the Eti River after a high-intensity rain occurred at 01.00 local time.

Based on a report received by the BNPB Operations Control Center (Pusdalops) on Wednesday (17/8) at 18.00 WIB, the flood had receded at all points of the incident. It was recorded that 115 families / 575 people were affected by the flood with a height of 45 centimeters, besides that it also submerged 105 housing units in Eti Village. There were no reports of casualties or residents who were displaced as a result of this incident.

At the time of the incident, the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of West Seram Regency went directly to the location of the incident to carry out disaster management and coordinate with the local government in further handling efforts that needed to be done.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued a weather forecast for Maluku Province, on Thursday (18/8) and Friday (19/8) there will be sunny weather to light rain. Meanwhile, the results of a study from BNPB's inaRISK, the West Seram Regency area has a medium and high level of flood risk in all sub-districts in the region.

Even though the weather forecast is starting to improve, BNPB still appeals to local governments and the public to increase their preparedness for flood threats, especially for residents living around watersheds. The public is expected to continue to monitor weather information from relevant agencies and pay attention to natural signs. If it rains with high intensity, it will continue for one hour to carry out self-evacuation to a safe place.