Ambonese Prepare for the Worst as Extreme Rains Expected to Continue

Extreme rains that have hit Ambon , Maluku over the last two days in Ambon, are expected to continue. Residents living in areas that are often hit by floods and landslides are prepared for the worst.

KOMPAS/NOEL FILKOSTIQ UNTUK KOMPAS

A man places his belongings stop tables and other high surfaces on Saturday night (3/10/2020), after his house was flooded following heavy rain in Ambon municipality, Maluku.

AMBON, KOMPAS – Main roads in Ambon, Maluku were paralyzed and residential areas were submerged as rivers overflowed following extreme rains that hit the city on Saturday and Sunday.

Residents have been asked to prepare for the worst condition as heavy rains are expected to continue.

As of Sunday (4/10/2020) afternoon, the rain that hit Ambon had begun to subside, but the clouds still overshadowed the area. A number of settlements such as those in Batu Merah, Batu Meja, and areas on the riverbanks are still inundated. The water level has started to drop to below 50 centimeters.

Also read : Annual Flooding

Norina Rehata (40), a resident of Ambon city, said by telephone that Jalan AY Patty, the main street in the city, was inundated to a depth of almost 1 meter. A similar condition also occurred on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman. "We were hit by flooding on Saturday night for nearly five hours." We can\'t get out of town. Motorcycles cannot be used, "she said.

According to her, Jalan AY Patty was submerged because there was no rainwater absorption area in the city center. Merdeka Square, formerly a green open space in the city center that was used to absorb rainwater, has been turned into a “concrete field” by Maluku Governor Murad Ismail. The area was covered by paving blocks in August 2019.

We can\'t get out of town. Motorcycles cannot be used

Also read: Flood Problems Still Unresolved

Meanwhile, other residential areas, such as the Batu Merah and Batu Meja settlements, were also flooded. A number of residents were reportedly trapped inside the house located in the middle of a narrow alley in the city . "There was an old man who was evacuated by the SAR [search and rescue] team from inside the house. He could only be evacuated on Saturday night, ”said Djunaidi, the head of the Ambon SAR office.

As of Sunday afternoon, no casualties were reported . SAR personnel has been assigned to a number of locations that are considered vulnerable. They helped the evacuation of sick and elderly people to the houses of their relatives. So far, no emergency command posts have been opened to help the flood victims.

BMKG

A satellite image shows clouds over the Maluku Islands and Papua on Sunday (4/10/2020).

Rion S Salman, an official at the office of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in Ambon said rains that occurred on Saturday and Sunday were categorized as extreme, the rainfall exceeding 200 millimeters, far higher than the maximum daily rainfall of 100 millimeters.

Climatologically, the rainy season that has taken place in Ambon Island and surrounding areas since May, this year should have ended in September. The rains that occurred in

October were partly caused by high evaporation in the Banda Sea, which is located in the south of Ambon Island. This evaporation has led to the formation of rain clouds.

From satellite imagery, the sky on Ambon Island and its surroundings are still covered by thick rain clouds. Rion estimates that heavy rain will continue within the next few days that will automatically trigger flooding in a number of locations. The floods can be worse because the soil has already been saturated.

Also read: Floods and Underground Reservoirs

"Therefore, an alert level should be increased in order to prevent casualties," he said.

The extreme rains in Ambon have occurred frequently in the last few years. The worst condition occurred in July 2013, causing massive flooding which hit most parts of the city. Landslides also occurred in a number of locations, damaging dozens of houses. Dozens of people died in the incident.

Most of the submerged settlements were located on hillside and riverbanks. Almost all rivers in Ambon are shallow due to sediment and garbage dumped by residents. The condition is worsening due to conversion of land in the upstream area into residential areas.