At Least 13 Houses Destroyed by Tidal Waves in West Sulawesi's Mamuju

TheIndonesia.co - Tidal waves reportedly destroyed 13 houses in Tampalang village, Mamuju regency, West Sulawesi province and forcibly displaced dozens of families in the area.

One village member said tidal waves swept through the houses in Tampalang and caused families to leave and seek shelters.

“13 residential houses located on the coast of Tampalang village are severely damaged due to the massive tidal waves,” Adriansyah said on Sunday, December 25, as reported by Antara, adding that the majority of people whose houses were destroyed in the disaster work as fishers.

“When it happened, residents ran towards the main road and left their houses in order to save themselves since tidal waves crashed hard and damaged the residential areas as well as posing danger to residents," he explained.

Adriansyah also revealed that embankments installed behind the residential areas appeared to be broken and failed to protect houses from the crashes.

“The sea waves from Makassar Strait are very dangerous because they were high and strong. There were also strong winds, and [the combination] destroyed the houses. Residents are now forced to take shelters in the residences of other family members because they have been displaced.”

All impacted residents are now waiting for assistances and aids from the government to arrive because the majority of their belongings were also swept away in the disaster.

Acting governor of West Sulawesi Akmal Malik warned people in the area to remain alerted since extreme weather events are still taking place in the province’s waters. He particularly warned public of potential floods and landslides.

“The government will assist members of the public during this difficult times caused by disasters, and we will ask West Sulawesi disaster mitigation office [BPBD] to respond and immediately help people affected by the tragedy,” Malik said.