Regions Prepare to Anticipate Extreme Weather

Stakeholders in a number of regions are preparing steps to anticipate extreme weather that could potentially occur at the end of the year. Safety is the main priority.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Aerial photo of a motorbike rider crossing an asphalt road that has been eroded by abrasion and tidal waves at Pisangan Beach, Cemarajaya Village, Cibuaya District, Karawang Regency, West Java, Tuesday (27/12/2022). In the last three days the northern coastal area of Karawang has been hit by waves and sea tides.

DENPASAR, KOMPAS — Visitor mobility in tourist areas in a number of regions is reported to have increased toward the end of 2022. A series of anticipatory steps has been prepared to deal with the potential for extreme weather in that period.

The number of visitors and inter-island transportation activities in the tourist area of Sanur Traditional Village in Denpasar, Bali — for example at Matahari Terbit Beach — was reported to increase.

"The increase has been felt since mid-December 2022," said Ida Bagus Adnyana, a leader of the Baga Utsaha Padruwen Adat (Bupda) Galang Kangin Sanur of Sanur Traditional Village, at Matahari Terbit Beach, in Sanur, on Tuesday (27/12/2022).

The traditional village through Bupda Sanur is a business entity owned by the village together with related agencies, including the Port Authority and Harbor Authority Office, the Bali Regional Police and the Denpasar City Administration, coordinate with each other to maintain public security and safety, including for visitors.

Anticipatory steps

The traditional village deploys personnel to assist the authorities in maintaining security and informing about the condition of the area, including anticipating extreme weather.

“Usually a warning is issued when there are strong winds or high waves. We are involving traditional village security personnel to help secure the situation, working closely with the Bali Police, the Denpasar City Administration and the port master in Sanur," said Adnyana.

In anticipation of extreme weather, climbing expeditions to the top of Mount Arjuno-Welirang on the border of Malang, Pasuruan and Batu City regencies in East Java, will be closed for the 2022-2023 New Year holidays. Potential bad weather was cited as the cause.

“During the peak of the rainy season, climbing is closed because the potential danger is high. We have been doing this since we entered the rainy season, not just before the New Year's holidays," said the head of the Raden R Soerjo Grand Forest Park Technical Implementation Unit, Ahmad Wahyudi.

Also read:

> Adaptation of Tourism to Weather Conditions

> Beware of Bad Weather during the End of the Year Holidays

He could not confirm when climbing activities would reopen. They were still waiting for updates.

A similar policy was carried out at the end of the previous year's holidays. “At the end of every year extreme weather often occurs. That's why we are closed," he said.

Extreme weather has also hit a number of areas in Central Java in the last few days. On Monday (26/12), heavy rain accompanied by strong winds triggered landslides and felled trees.

At the end of every year extreme weather often occurs. That's why we are closed.

In Semarang city, a landslide hit a passing car and resulted in one person being injured. Heavy rain in Semarang city, which lasted from noon until around 8 p.m. triggered a landslide in Jomblang Village, Candisari District, to cause landslides at 9:55 p.m.

The landslide struck a car carrying three people. "The victim was taken to the Santa Elisabeth Hospital in Semarang City," said Herbiyanto, Head of neighborhood unit (RT) 013 in Jomblang Village on Tuesday.

KOMPAS/KRISTI D UTAMI

Hundreds of tourists stuck in Karimunjawa, Jepara have arrived at Tanjung Emas Harbor, Semarang, Central Java, Wednesday (28/12/2022). They were stuck on Karimunjawa Island because there were no ferries operating due to high waves.

High waves

The process of evacuating hundreds of tourists who were stuck on Karimunjawa Island in Jepara regency, Central Java, was hampered by bad weather and high waves.

As a result, the arrival schedule for the KM Kelimutu boat, owned by PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia, which was to be used to evacuate tourists, had been pushed back.

"It is possible that KM Kelimutu will be able to dock at the earliest at 8 p.m. So, it is estimated that the ship will only arrive at Tanjung Emas Port, Semarang, on Wednesday at around 3:30 a.m.," said Jepara regency Transportation Service head Trisno Santoso when contacted on Tuesday night.

High waves also hit almost all the waters of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). A number of cruises in the area have been temporarily suspended for safety reasons. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) noted on Tuesday that wave heights in NTT waters ranged from 1.25 to 3 meters.

Also read: Extreme Weather, Weather Modification and Disaster

On its official website, the BMKG advised ferries not to depart if wave heights reached 2.5 meters. Bad weather is predicted to occur until the beginning of the year.

Based on monitoring at Kupang’s Bolok Port , a number of ferries have docked. There is no shipping activity.

Regarding the news that there is a storm that will hit Greater Jakarta and Banten on 28 December 2022, Head of BMKG Dwikorita Karnawati said, the storm in question was heavy rain.

Whoever live in Greater Jakarta, and especially Tangerang or Banten, please be prepared for extreme rain and violent storms on 28 December 2022.

BMKG data states that extreme rain in Greater Jakarta and Banten has the potential to occur on 30 December 2022.

Previously, a climatology researcher at the Center for Climate and Atmospheric Research at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Erma Yulihastin, tweeted on her Twitter account regarding the potential for extreme rain on Wednesday (28/12).

"Whoever live in Greater Jakarta, and especially Tangerang or Banten, please be prepared for extreme rain and violent storms on 28 December 2022," Erma wrote. (COK/WER/XTI/FRN/Z09/ DAN/VIO/Z03/Z01)

This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswo.