Indonesia – Floods and Landslides in East Java Leave 11 Dead, 4,000 Displaced

National Disaster officials in Indonesia said that 11 people died in flooding and landslides early on Tuesday 28 November in East Java Province.

The flooding and landslides came after more than 380 mm of rain fell in 24 hours.

According to Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana – BNPB), all 11 of the fatalities occurred in Pacitan Regency, East Java Province.

Seven deaths were reported when a landslide struck in Klesem village in the Kebonagung Sub-district of Pacitan Regency. Two further fatalities occurred in a separate landslide in Sidomulyo Village, Ngadirojo Sub-district, also in the Pacitan district in East Java. The other 2 other victims reportedly drowned in flood water in the same area where rivers have overflowed.

Around 13 villages have been affected in Pacitan district, with thousands of homes thought to be damaged and over 4,000 people evacuated.

East Java, Yogyakarta and Bali Affected

East Java province has seen a period of severe weather over the last 7 days. A tornado ripped through Regency on Wednesday 22 November, injuring 35 people and damaging more than 600 homes.

Yesterday, flooding and landslides were reported in Ponorogo Regency of East Java Province. Roads have been blocked but no casualties reported. Elsewhere on Java Island, parts of Yogyakarta Special Region have also seen some flooding.

About 500 km east of East Java Province, areas of Klungkung in Bali have also been affected by flooding, according to BNPB. Klungkung is on a small island in southern Bali and around 50 km south of Mount Agung.

Tropical Cyclone Cempaka

The flooding and landslides came after torrential rain began on Monday 27 November as part of Tropical Cyclone Cempaka, which also brought strong winds of 65 km/h and high waves.

Indonesia’s meteorological agency Badan Meteorologi Klimatologi dan Geofisika (BMKG), said that 383 mm of rain fell in Pacitan in a 24 hour period to 28 November.

Heavy rain warnings are in place for wide areas of the country today, 29 November, plus a warning of high waves for coastal areas of Yogyakarta Special Region.

Volcanic Eruption Mount Agung

Mount Agung started to erupt on 25 November with a significant release of magmatic gases and increased volcanic earthquake activity.

According to the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), volcanic ash reached a maximum height of 3,400 metres from the peak on 27 November. The government of Indonesia has advised people living within a radius of 8-10 km from the crater (approximately 100,000 people) to immediately evacuate the areas. As of 27 November, local media reported that 40,000 people have already been evacuated.

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