Floods paralyze Jakarta, heavy rains continue – ‘In 30 years of my life here it has never flooded, ever. This is the very first time.’
By Fergus Jensen and Rieka Rahadiana, with additional reporting by Michael Taylor and Janeman Latul; Writing by Jonathan Thatcher; Editing by Robert Birsel
17 January 2013 JAKARTA (Reuters) – Heavy monsoon rain triggered severe flooding in large swathes of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, on Thursday, bringing the city to a halt with many government offices and businesses forced to close because staff could not get to work. At least 20,000 people were forced from their homes in the capital and weather officials warned the rain could get worse over the next few days. “Rain will continue to fall in the greater Jakarta area … the potential for flooding remains,” a spokesman for the Meteorology Climatology Meteorology and Geophysics Agency told Reuters. He said rain was expected to remain heavy in mountains above Jakarta, often the source of floodwater. Four people were reported to have been killed, according to the National Disaster Prevention Agency, which urged residents to stay at home to reduce traffic congestion on blocked roads. Torrential rain was reported across much of the country, including the main island of Java and heavily agricultural area of southern Sumatra. However, officials said there had been no reports of any serious damage to key crops such as rice, sugar, and palm oil. An estimated more than 175 mm (7 inches) of rain fell in one part of west Jakarta between 7 a.m. and midday. “In 30 years of my life here it has never flooded, ever. This is the very first time,” said Ninuk, 30, a resident of central Jakarta. Floods even forced the country’s anti-corruption agency to move some of its most prominent prison inmates, including a former deputy head of the central bank, to a notorious women’s prison, Pondok Bambu, in east Jakarta, a spokesman said. [more]
