1,981 Joint Personnel to Evacuate Flood Victims

Jakarta (Antara) - Some 1,981 personnel from different forces have been deployed to evacuate flood victims, according to the Jakarta Police. "Some 1,981 police, army and search and rescue agency personnel are evacuating people to safer places," Jakarta Police Spokesperson Commissioner Martinus Sitompul said here on Tuesday. Martin noted that joint personnel have been deployed in locations such as Jakarta, Tangerang, and Bekasi. The Jakarta Police have set up a crisis center and arranged 29 boats, 16 trucks, 12 life vests, two water pumping units, and four canoes for rescue operations. Around 259 locations have been inundated by floodwaters 10 to 210 centimeters high. Meanwhile, some 5,986 Jakarta residents have been forced to evacuate to safer places as floods continued to inundate the capital city on Tuesday, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). "Some 5,986 people have taken shelter in 14 locations. Their number might increase as we are awaiting more data from field officers," BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho stated here Tuesday. According to the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Office, floods have affected some 307 neighborhoods in 97 urban villages in 33 subdistricts. "Some 4,830 families comprising 15,517 people have been affected as floods inundated their houses. Around 5,986 people have taken refuge in temporary shelters," he stated. (*)