A series of flash floods that hit Bima municipality and Bima regency, both in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), earlier this week, have displaced over 100,000 local residents and have paralyzed economic activity in the region, local authorities have said.
NTB Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPPD) head Muhammad Rum said on Saturday the flash floods, which swept through the region on Wednesday and Friday following hours of heavy rainfall, had inundated 33 subdistricts, home to a total of 105,000 people.
“Today [Saturday], the floods have started to recede. Some people have left evacuation shelters to return to their homes,” Rum said.
(Read also: NTB on alert after flash floods displace locals)
The NTB provincial administration claimed that, as of Saturday, no deaths had been reported from the floods.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) also stated that the two affected regions would be given an emergency status for 14 days until Jan. 4, 2017.
The BNPB reported on Thursday that the flash floods were caused by Cyclone Yvette in the Indian Ocean, some 620 kilometers south of Denpasar, Bali.