140, Korban Tewas Banjir Bandang Nusa Tenggara Timur
Indonesia landslides death toll rises to 140, dozens missing
Editor : Kemal A Praghotsa
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
KORBAN tewas akibat banjir bandang di timur Indonesia telah meningkat menjadi 140 dan dan puluhan orang hilang, Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana [BNPB] karena hujan terus menguyur membuat terhambat upaya pencarian.
Kabupaten Flores Timur di pulau Adonara menderita kerugian tertinggi dengan 67 mayat ditemukan sejauh ini dan enam hilang. Lumpur berjatuhan dari bukit bukit sekitarnya pada Minggu pagi, beberapa warga tersapu banjir bandang ketika masih terlelap.
Di pulau Lembata di dekatnya, hujan lebat yang dipicu oleh Topan Tropis Seroja menjadi banjir bandang dari lava yang membeku akibat letusan gunung berapi pada November, menghantam lebih dari selusin desa, menewaskan sedikitnya 32 dan 35 belum ditemukan, menurut BNPB.
Ratusan polisi, tentara, dan penduduk menggali puing-puing dengan tangan kosong, sekop, dan cangkul untuk mencari mereka yang terkubur. Pada Rabu, sanak keluarga meratap ketika mereka menyaksikan tim penyelamat mengeluarkan tubuh yang berlumuran lumpur, meletakkannya di atas tandu bambu dan membawanya untuk dimakamkan.
"Tolong temukan ayah dan ibu saya yang masih terkubur, apapun kondisinya," teriak Suzanna Tasoin kepada Tim SAR yang berjuang menggali berton-ton material vulkanik dan bebatuan dengan peralatan pertanian di desa Waimatan di pulau Lembata. "kami ingin menguburkannya dengan rasa hormat yang pantas mereka terima,"
Secara keseluruhan, tanah longsor dan banjir telah menewaskan sedikitnya 126 orang pada beberapa pulau di NTT serta 27 orang di negara tetangga, Timor Leste. Ribuan rumah rusak dan ribuan orang mengungsi akibat cuaca, yang diperkirakan akan berlanjut hingga setidaknya Jumat saat badai bergerak ke selatan menuju Australia.
Upaya penyelamatan terhambat oleh hujan dan keterpencilan daerah, di mana jalan dan jembatan rusak di banyak tempat.
Petugas penyelamat dengan ekskavator dan berton-ton makanan dan obat-obatan dikerahkan dari kota Makassar, ibukota Sulawesi Selatan, tetapi terhalang oleh kurangnya transportasi laut.
Kepala BNPB Doni Monardo mengatakan lima helikopter mulai mencapai daerah-daerah terpencil di pulau itu, seperti dikutip Associated Press yang dilansir MailOnline.
Pemerintah menyediakan puluhan ribu masker anti-virus Covid-19, dan Monardo mengatakan akan mendirikan pos kesehatan di kamp-kamp pengungsian untuk orang-orang terhadap virus tersebut.
Dia mengatakan enam kapal angkatan laut, termasuk sebuah kapal rumah sakit yang membawa lebih banyak barang diharapkan tiba pada hari Jumat untuk membantu rumah sakit dan klinik di Nusa Tenggara Timur.
THE DEATH toll from mudslides in eastern Indonesia has risen to 140 with dozens still missing, officials said Wednesday, as rain continued to pound the region and hamper the search.
East Flores district on Adonara island suffered the highest losses with 67 bodies recovered so far and six missing. Mud tumbled down from surrounding hills early on Sunday, catching people at sleep. Some were swept away by flash floods after overnight rains caused rivers to burst their banks.
On nearby Lembata island, the downpour triggered by Tropical Cyclone Seroja sent solidified lava from a volcanic eruption in November to crash down on more than a dozen villages, killing at least 32 and leaving 35 unaccounted for, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.
Hundreds of police, soldiers and residents dug through the debris with their bare hands, shovels and hoes searching for those buried. Relatives wailed Wednesday as they watched rescuers pull out a mud-caked body, place it on a bamboo stretcher and take it away for burial.
"Please find my father and mother who are still buried ... whatever their condition," Suzanna Tasoin cried to rescuers struggling to dig up tons of volcanic materials and rocks with farm tools at Waimatan village on Lembata island, "We want to bury them with the respect they deserve."
In all, landslides and flooding have killed at least 126 across several islands in Indonesia as well as 27 people in neighboring East Timor. Thousands of homes have been damaged and thousands of people displaced by the weather, which is expected to continue until at least Friday as the storm moves south toward Australia.
Rescue efforts were being hampered by the rains and the remoteness of the area, where roads and bridges were damaged in many places.
Rescue personnel with excavators and tons of food and medicine were being deployed from Makassar city on Sulawesi island, but were hindered by bad weather and extremely high waves.
Five helicopters were helping to reach isolated areas of the islands, National Disaster Mitigation Agency chief Doni Monardo told reporters late Wednesday.
He said evacuees were in dire need of basic necessities such as blankets, mats, tents, baby food and medical services.
The government provided tens of thousands of anti-coronavirus masks, and Monardo said authorities would set up health posts at refugee camps to test people for the virus.
He said six navy ships, including a hospital ship, carrying more goods were expected to arrive on Friday to relieve overwhelmed hospitals and clinics in East Nusa Tenggara, one of Indonesia´s poorest provinces.
