Four houses in Mataram destroyed by tidal waves

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 12/28/2008 9:46 AM

Tidal waves destroyed at least four fishermen houses at Bintaro Jaya, Ampenan, Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, Saturday night, Antara news agency reported on Sunday.

The overflowing sea water also destroyed a number of fishing boats at Bintaro Jaya, flooded a number of villages in the area and submerged about three hectares of rice field along the beach.

"In the beginning, we felt a tremor, maybe it was from the waves, and suddenly sea water flooded our village," said Mursid, a neighborhood head at Bintaro Jaya.

Local Youth Disaster Preparedness Team (Tagana) deployed its members to the area to evacuate villagers, especially children and women, to nearby Al-Mujahiddin mosque.

"We also brought bread and biscuits to help the victims, and we will wait till tomorrow whether we need to bring more supplies such as rice," Tagana chief Nyoman Dibya told Antara Saturday night.

According to locals, floods from sea water have hit the area twice this year. The first incident occurred on February 20, where about seven-meter-high tidal waves hit coastal villages in Bintaro Jaya and nearby areas.