Floods in Java leave thousands homeless

Children in flooded street in Indonesia

3 January 2008: Plan is providing US$20,000 of emergency aid to help thousands of children and families hit by floods in Java, Indonesia.

The disaster relief began on New Year’s Eve as 18 out of 35 districts on the island suffered landslides and flooding following torrential rain over the festive period.

In some areas the water levels reached up to 3 metres high, with more than 5,300 families forced out of their homes and into shelters and public buildings in Solo district.

If the rain continues, there are fears that the nearby Gajah Mungkur dam will collapse causing devastation among the surrounding towns.

Essential aid

The money from Plan will provide blankets, sleeping mats, hygiene kits and cleaning kits to 500 of the worst affected families in the Pasar Kliwon sub-district in Solo - one of the few areas where the waters have begun to subside.

Here, some people have been able to move back into their houses where they are now attempting to clean up the mud and debris left by the floodwaters.

In the nearby district of Grobogan, an estimated 2,400 families from 6 villages have been forced to stay in shelters, and there are widespread concerns that the local government may not be able to respond to their needs.

Taking the lead

Plan Indonesia and Forum Suara, a local non-governmental organisation (NGO), are now taking the lead in coordinating the response to the Solo floods.

Other NGOs have begun to distribute medical supplies and non-food items among people evacuated from each of the districts affected.

According to the Meteorological Office, the monsoon season in January and February will be the worst in Indonesia for 30 years, with a high risk of further flooding and landslides.

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