Weather Hampers Evacuation of Victims

Officers are finding it difficult to evacuate victims of landslides on Serasan Island. The weather is still raining and the soil is unstable. Heavy equipment cannot be used either.

BATAM, KOMPAS – Officers are finding it difficult to evacuate landslide victims on Serasan Island, Natuna regency, Riau Islands, due to rain and unstable soil. As of Tuesday (7/3/2023), 47 people are still missing.

Previously, a landslide occurred in Pangkalan village, East Serasan district, on Monday (6/3) at 11:15 a.m., which swept away 27 houses in the village.

Serasan Island is located about 200 meters from Ranai, Natuna’s capital. From Ranai, it takes about 12 to 14 hours by sea to reach the island.

Riau Islands Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) chief executive Muhammad Hasbi said a joint search and rescue (SAR) team consisting of members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police arrived on the island on Tuesday morning. They departed from Natuna Besar Island on Monday afternoon.

“It is still raining there and the soil is unstable. Heavy equipment cannot be used either. Evacuation efforts were manually carried out with caution,” said Hasbi when contacted from Batam.

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Moreover, the communication network at the disaster site has not yet returned to normal. Hasbi, who is currently in the capital of Riau Islands in Tanjung Pinang, Bintan Island, has had difficulty contacting the SAR team on Serasan Island.

“The signal is terrible, it only works sometimes. We make the most of it to stay updated on the number of victims reported by SAR officers at the disaster site,” said Hasbi.

According to Hasbi, based on data from Natuna BPBD so far, 11 people have died. This corrects previous reports that stated 15 people had died.

Additionally, it was reported that four people were severely injured and 47 still missing. Three severely injured victims were evacuated to Pontianak, West Kalimantan, using state-owned shipping company PT Pelni’s Bukit Raya ship. Another severely injured victim was taken to Ranai. Furthermore, 1,216 people have had to evacuate from East Serasan district.

The signal is terrible, it only works sometimes.

“The landslide on Serasan Island, I believe, is the worst in the history of Riau Islands,” said Hasbi when contacted from Batam.

The Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) said the landslide in Pangkalan village was caused by steep cliff slopes, thick weathered soil from old rocks in the form of weathered granodiorite and extreme rainfall for a long period of time.

Meanwhile, Hang Nadim Meteorological station data and information head Suratman forecasted that parts of Natuna would see light rain. Natuna’s waters may also see waves as high as 2.5-4 meters.

KOMPAS/PANDU WIYOGA

TNI AD personnel from the Military Resort Command 033 monitor logistics transport trucks that enter the Bahtera Nusantara I roll on roll off ship at Tanjung Uban Port, Bintan Island, Tuesday (7/3/2023). The logistics materials will be sent to help landslide victims on Serasan Island, Natuna.

Logistics aid

Last Monday, Riau Islands Governor Ansar Ahmad instructed the Riau Islands BPBD to send aid to victims on Serasan Island. In addition, he also urged residents around the disaster site to remain vigilant as it was still raining.

Riau Islands BPBD section head Bayu Taufan said the provincial administration had sent medicine, food and clothing. The aid was transported by the Ark Nusantara I ship, which departed from Tanjung Uban Port, Bintan Island, this afternoon.

According to Bayu, it will take at least two nights for the ship to travel from Bintan to Serasan. Ark Nusantara I is expected to arrive at the island on 9 March.

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On the same ship, the Riau Islands Police also dispatched 131 officers to Serasan. Riau Islands Police operations head Sr. Comr. Ulami Sudjaja said the officers dispatched had been tasked with searching for missing victims and treating the injured.

“The officers will remain there until disaster management is concluded. We hope the process wraps up quickly,” said Ulami.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) also sent aid to residents affected by the landslide on the island. The aid was sent directly by BNPB head Lt. Gen. Suharyanto.

Suharyanto flew from Jakarta to Natuna yesterday afternoon to observe the situation and condition following the landslide. With the Hercules C-130 aircraft, the BNPB team arrived at Sadjad Ranai air base, Natuna, on Tuesday afternoon.

The BNPB brought aid in the form of logistics and equipment to support and accelerate the management of landslide emergencies. This includes four large evacuation tents, 100 family tents, 500 blankets, 500 mattresses, 15 units of 2 kilovolt-ampere (kVA) electric generators, 1,500 food packages, 1,500 packages of beef rendang, 200 camping beds and 100 salt lamps.

“BNPB will also hand over ready-to-use funds for emergency management,” said Abdul Muhari, BNPB disaster data, information and communication center acting head.

We must declare it a disaster emergency and we must work together to provide as much assistance as possible.

During a coordination meeting with Riau Islands Governor Ansar Ahmad at Raden Sadjat Ranai Airport, Suharyanto emphasized search efforts needed to be carried out optimally.

“After this, we must declare it a disaster emergency and we must work together to provide as much assistance as possible. With 47 people still missing, it is a relatively large number. That is why we have to maximize and exhaust our search efforts,” he said.

He also reminded officers to attend to the everyday needs of the evacuees concerning clothing, food and boards.

“We can’t allow those who have been affected by the disaster to be burdened with finding food, clothing, etc. We must pay close attention to them until the disaster emergency status is revoked,” he said.

Suharyanto, the governor and their team will leave for Serasan Island by sea on Wednesday (8/3) morning.

This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.