Three Asean states witnessed 29 disasters last week - AHA Centre

JAKARTA - Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines experienced 29 disasters, including floods, landslides, wind-related incidents, and volcanic activities during the first week of 2024, the Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) said.

Indonesia’s disaster management agency BNPB reported that floods, landslides and wind-related disasters occurred in 12 provinces, including Jakarta, Jambi, East Java, Riau and West Sulawesi.

Flooding has been reported in Riau since Jan 1, affecting over 6,000 families, with over 600 people reportedly displaced in Siak, Pelalawan, Pekanbaru, Dumai and Indragiri Hulu.

Damage reports include almost 6,000 houses, six bridges, one road, 20 schools, four health facilities, 18 government, as well as public facilities, and 17 places of worship.

In Jambi, BNPB reported flooding and landslides in the Tebo Regency, affecting over 8,000 families and houses, along with 820 hectares of agricultural areas and 43,000 livestock.

Indonesia’s meteorological agency BMKG and the Philippines’ volcanology agency documented seven significant earthquakes above 5.0 magnitude, as highlighted in the AHA Centre’s weekly update.

Mount Semeru and Lewotobi Laki-laki in Indonesia, and Mayon Volcano, Taal, Kanlaon, and Bulusan in the Philippines reported recent volcanic activity.

In Malaysia, the disaster management agency Nadma reported flooding in Johor and Pahang.

As of Monday, around 2,100 families have been displaced in 54 evacuation centres in six districts in Johor, and 383 families have been displaced in 26 evacuation centres in three districts in Pahang.

Authorities have addressed the situation, including coordinating with relevant agencies, data collection, evacuation operations, and logistics needed by the affected community, AHA Centre noted. - BERNAMA