Tornado Hits Nine Buildings in Madura

Pamekasan, E Java (Antara) - A tornado has damaged nine buildings in two villages in Pamekasan Sub-district of Madura Island, E Java Province, and losses have been placed at millions of Rupiahs. "There were five buildings damaged in Peltong Village and four houses in Trasak Village," the Head of the Civil Servants Division in Larangan Sub-district, Fauzi Rahman, said here on Tuesday. The five buildings that were damaged in Peltong Village include four houses and a State Elementary School, he added. According to Fauzi, the disaster did not claim any casualties. However, the property loss is predicted to reach tens of millions of Rupiah, noted Fauzi. After the tornado struck, the two villages were hit by severe rain showers. After the storms passed, members of the communities cleaned the debris and repaired houses that were damaged. "Several staff members from the Larangan Military Rayon Command worked with local people to clean the debris," Fauzi said. The wind also brought down trees and damaged paddy fields in the villages. The Chief of Larangan Sub-district, Agus Budi Santoso, said he has reported the incident and total loss to Pamekasan Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency. (*)