JAKARTA: A wave of weather-related disasters swept across Indonesia in the past week, striking at least nine provinces and triggering landslides, floods and destructive winds, the national disaster agency said on Tuesday (nOV 18).
The heaviest toll came in Central Java, where landslides in two districts left at least 18 people dead and dozens missing, the agency said.
The worst-hit area was Banjarnegara, a mountainous district where days of heavy rain loosened unstable hillsides on Sunday.
Emergency crews have been unable to reach some sites because continuous rainfall has raised the risk of additional slope failures.
The sprawling archipelago, home to volcanic highlands, steep river valleys and rapidly expanding settlements, experiences hundreds of floods and landslides each year.
Officials and researchers say the risks have intensified with deforestation, land conversion and more extreme rainfall patterns linked to climate change.
The BNBP disaster agency also reported destructive winds in West Java, where a whirlwind damaged more than 80 homes and forced several families to seek shelter with relatives.
Flash floods inundated parts of North Sulawesi, affecting nearly 100 residents before waters receded. Flooding in several other provinces continued to disrupt communities, the agency said.
The Indonesian meteorology agency said it expected steady rainfall across major islands, including Sumatra, Java and Kalimantan, over the next two days.- dpa
