Lebak, Banten (ANTARA) - A total of 1,060 houses in six sub-districts in Lebak District, Banten Province, suffered severe damage after being hit by flash flood on Wednesday (Jan 1).
"Most houses were severely damaged due to their location on the banks of the Ciberang River," head of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Lebak District, Kaprawi, stated on Friday.
In addition to the severely damaged houses, the flash flood caused slight damage to 428 houses and submerged 1,226 houses.
In the past three days, the flood-affected locals have been staying in refugee camps. They could not return back home owing to the heavy damage caused to them, while some were razed to the ground.
Hence, they prefer living in refugee camps. Moreover, flash floods swept away property and household furniture, clothing, and also food.
"We continue to prioritize the distribution of food aid, beverage, clothing, blankets, and others in order to reduce the risk of disaster so as to not lead to food insecurity," Kaprawi noted.
Flash floods hit villages in the six districts of Lebak Gedong, Cipanas, Curug Bitung, Maja, Sajira, and Cimarga.
A total of 677 displaced families were accommodated at seven evacuation posts: the PGRI Building, Sajira Sub-district; Nangela Evacuation Post, Calungbungur Village, Sajira Sub-district; and Tambak Village Evacuation Post, Cimarga Sub-district; Evacuation Post of the Cipanas District Office; Evacuation Post of Curugbitung Sub-district; and Disposal Post of the Multipurpose Building of Lebak Gedong Sub-district.
"We established public kitchens in all refugee camps and also conducted data collection," Kaprawi noted.
Several residents in the Evacuation Post of the PGRI Building in Sajira Sub-district were left visibly clueless since their houses were heavily damaged and flattened to the ground due to the flash flood.
"We are optimistic that the regional government would conduct development, as the current conditions are difficult to rebuild," Maman, a refugee in Sajira Sub-district, stated.
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