200 Residents Evacuated by Flash Floods in Semarang

Semarang – Heavy rain for quite some time caused flooding in the Semarang city. The flood has led to affected residents having to evacuate.

The Semarang Search and Rescue (SAR) team, along with other teams involved in the joint SAR efforts to evacuate trapped residents, especially children, women, and sick people.

Semarang SAR has deployed 3 teams complete with rubber boats and personnel transport trucks to evacuate flooded residents.

"We've received many requests for evacuation, especially for the elderly and toddlers, so we've deployed 3 teams to conduct evacuations," the Semarang SAR Chief Budiono said in Semarang, on Friday.

Budiono added that the teams joined forces with other SAR potentials to evacuate residents, such as in Mangkang, Genuk, Muktiharjo Kidul, and Tlogosari Kulon, which were severely inundated.

As of Friday (March 15), SAR teams have evacuated 200 people from several locations.

This number could increase as some residents have also evacuated independently, and several points have been successfully evacuated by other SAR teams.

Currently, the flood has started to recede as the rainfall intensity decreases, and some evacuees have returned to their respective homes.

However, in several areas severely affected by flooding, water levels are still quite high.

According to the BMKG Semarang forecast, there will still be heavy rainfall until next week, so Semarang residents are advised to still be safe.

"If you need assistance, please contact Basarnas at (024) 115 or 7629192. SAR operation services are free of charge," Budiono informed.

As information, Semarang as the capital of Central Java Province has repeatedly been hit by flooding over the past few years.

In 2021, flash floods inundated Semarang City's Kota Lama (Old Town) neighborhood and several other areas due to extreme rainfall and tidal flooding.

Based on the hydrological analysis, the 2021 rainfall was a 50-year recurrence interval, Hadimoeljono stated.

The central government is aware of Semarang's vulnerability to flooding. Hence, the drainage system in Kota Lama, which had been revitalized, was designed as part of the city's flood prevention measure.

The water pumps were also indispensable to deal with flood-related events.

In addition to revitalizing the drainage system of Kota Lama, also known as Oude Staat or Little Netherlands owing to its colonial buildings, the revitalization of rivers flowing through Semarang City, was to be continued.