According to the governor of the region, Julius Selvanus, hundreds of residential and administrative buildings have been destroyed as a result of the natural disaster.
The rains that began on Monday morning on Siau Island (in the Siau Tagulandang Biaro area) triggered flooding. Evacuations have affected at least 444 people, who have been accommodated in local schools and churches. Rescue operations to search for the missing are ongoing with the support of volunteers.
Local rescue services report that the main roads in the affected areas are blocked by rocks, debris, and mud. Authorities have already deployed special equipment to eliminate the consequences.
According to forecasts from the Indonesian meteorological agency, during the peak of the rainy season, which occurs in January and February, there is a high risk of flooding on the islands of Java, Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua. While the peak rainfall on Sumatra and Borneo occurred in November and December of last year, in November, more than a thousand people died in Sumatra due to flooding and landslides caused by a cyclone, and hundreds are still reported missing.
