HST flood: 8 die, 8 thousand fled, 68 thousand affected

Barabai, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The devastating flood that hit Central Hulu Sungai (HST) District, South Kalimantan, left deep wound for the people of Bumi Murakata (HST's nickname).

Acting District Secretary of HST Ir H Faried Fakhmansyah on Monday (Jan 18, 2021) in Barabai said the disaster has recorded eight people died, seven in Hantakan Sub-district and one in Barabai Sub-district.

While as many as eight thousand people took refuge and 68 people affected by the flood.

"As many as 16 thousand houses in 10 out of 11 sub-district in HST were submerged," said Faried.

The worst, he said, was in Hantakan and Barabai Sub-districts. In Hantakan the flash flood destroyed hundreds of residents' houses and in Barabai it paralyzed the city, because all public facilities were flooded.

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"On the fifth day there are still two sub-districts the water has not receded, (it covers) several villages in Pandawan and Labuan Amas Utara," he said.

His party was still calculating how much the losses were incurred, while listing a number of damaged public facilities, including schools, places of worships, markets, and other facilities.

"To be sure, our citizens still need assistance, both logistics in the form of food, medicine, clothing, and other people's needs," said Faried who concurrently head of BPBD.

He expressed his deepest gratitude to all volunteers and assistance from agencies and companies from various neighboring districts, even from the Province of Central Kalimantan and East Kalimantan.

"In order the assistance to be coordinated neatly and on target, we that any assistance coming from various region to report first or hand it over to the main command post for flood handling at the Murakata Stadium," he said.

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