12 hours ago
12
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds hit the city of Depok from noon to evening, causing several areas to be submerged in floodwater. Trees also fell and crushed parked cars on Saturday, March 8, 2025.
The Head of the Disaster Management Division of the Depok Fire and Rescue Agency (DPKP) or Damkar, Denny Romulo Hutauruk, admitted receiving reports of fallen trees and crushed cars during the afternoon rain. "Two cars were crushed by a tree, the roof was hit on Mujair Street, Depok Jaya, and the duty officer has been dispatched to the location," Denny said when confirmed.
Denny emphasized that there were no casualties or injuries due to the fallen trees. However, a Volvo car suffered damage to its roof and windows.
"Our officers have been directed to trim the tree that fell on the car. Due to flooding in other areas, we are coordinating between agencies to facilitate disaster management," said Denny.
Denny explained that due to the heavy rain today, several roads experienced flooding due to the overflow of rivers and channels at several points in Depok.
"Reports received by us indicate flooding on Raya Sawangan Street, specifically at the Mampang intersection, as well as in the RGS Residential Complex Kampung Benda Cipayung, Marinir complex, while others are still being surveyed by our members," said Denny.
Meanwhile, the owner of the Volvo car, Aji Setya, revealed that the incident occurred around 14:30 WIB when he was inside the house and suddenly heard a rumbling sound. "It was raining, there was also quite strong wind, and then the tree fell on my car in front of the house. It was raining heavily, and then the wind picked up again," said Aji.
House Wall Collapses
The rain also caused a retaining wall in Kampung Rawa Denok RW. 01, Kelurahan Rangkapan Jaya Baru, Pancoran Mas, to collapse. As a result, the wall of a house belonging to Restu Widodo, 57, collapsed up to a diameter of 2 meters. Widodo revealed that the retaining wall behind his house collapsed at 16:00 WIB (Western Indonesian Time), obstructing the flow of the river and causing his house wall to collapse.
"At the time of the incident, my wife and child were inside the house and tidying up, afraid of the flood, and suddenly the wall collapsed, like a flash flood," Widodo said at the location.
Head of Disaster Management of DPKP Depok, Iwan, inspecting the collapsed house wall due to the collapsed retaining wall in RT.01 RW.01, Kelurahan Rangkapan Jaya Baru, Pancoran Mas, Depok, March 8, 2025. Tempo/Ricky Juliansyah
Widodo explained that at the time, his child was trying to protect his laptop from getting wet, but the dining room wall immediately collapsed and was unable to withstand the surge of water from behind. "It was like a tsunami inside, full of water. I held on and my wife hugged me, because if not, my wife could have been killed, hit by the door, not to mention the outer door," Widodo said.
As a result of the collapse of his house wall, the water immediately washed away all his belongings, and even injured Widodo's and his eldest child's legs, requiring 14 stitches. "My child had 8 stitches. I don't know what was injured, after getting injured, we immediately went to the clinic. I didn't feel it when my leg was injured. At the time, it was a panic situation, so I didn't feel it, suddenly I saw a wound," explained Widodo.
The man who works as an online motorcycle taxi (Ojol) driver admitted that he had been living in the house for less than 2 years, after moving from Kemayoran, Jakarta. "All my belongings were washed away. It's never happened before. We used to live in Kemayoran, there were no floods. We sold our house, but 3 weeks later we had to move, so we hurriedly found a new house and got this one," said Widodo.
The Head of the Disaster Management Division of the Depok Fire and Rescue Agency (DPKP) or Damkar, Denny Romulo Hutauruk, said that his team had been dispatched to assist in the evacuation. "The homeowners, along with his wife and two children, have been asked not to occupy their home to avoid unwanted incidents," said Denny when confirmed.
Denny explained that the collapse of Widodo's house wall was caused by the overflow of the water channel situated behind his house. The Depok Fire and Rescue Agency has conducted an inspection of the channel and found material landslides. "So the landslide obstructed the water channel, causing it to overflow and the water pushed the house wall," explained Denny.
Editor's Choice: Monday Night's Downpour Triggers Floods Across 15 Areas in Depok
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
