High tides force some 2,000 Jakartans fleeing their houses

JAKARTA (Jakarta Post): More than 2,000 residents of Muara Angke subdistrict, North Jakarta were forced to flee their houses, which were affected by flood, following the high tide in the Jakarta coastal areas.

Suheri, a resident of Muara Angke, told Elshinta news radio that the water level reached some two kilometers from the ground on Thursday night.

The water level was still some 110 centimeters high now (Friday evening," Suheri said, adding that the high tide may be higher in the next following days.

According to Suheri, water had begun entering houses, mostly owned fishermen, since Monday. Such flooding is common in the area, but it was the worst since the recent years.