I am Big Big Girl in a Big Big Flood…. (using a lyric from Emily – Big Big World)

Today I would like to tell you my experience for a big flood happened last February at my new residence. Actually I already wrote it in advance exactly at the flood day but I only have the chance to upload this story now.

February, 10 2015

Woaa who knows that heavy rain these days ended up with being a big flood! It was only one month after I moved to my new residence to the youngest Indonesia’s province. I was just moving to my new boarding house a day ago, cleaned up and settle everything, but now look here! Aww man it was a big flood out there and water threaten to come in to the house. It was only in the yard in the morning, and then slow but sure the water began to rise to the front steps.  On the same day, I got text messages from my chief division to gather around the main office and formed 2 groups of people to measure the water level. Actually this is not my division but since we have lack of member here so all division need to help each other let alone it was emergency situation. Each division rode one double-cabin car (a ranger car) each carrying a measuring gauge, a GPS to mark territory, paper and stationery to record the measurement results. We took three points in every way (start, middle and end point).

I was a team with mas Ali, Afiq, Singgih, Suwito and Ms. Eka. After performing measurements on four roads, turns out the water began to increasingly high so it cannot be passed by cars. Finally we decided to walk for the sake of completing the rest of the measurement which was still a long way to finished.  Funny phenomenon that I noticed from this flooding along the way Tanjung was this society truly is excited at this flood event. They are busy playing and making flood water as if it was an extra large swimming pool and make this moment as a means of recreation and they went walks around the town to see flooding in various places. Though the water looks cloudy and dirty and just imagine all the water in the ditch were mixed in this flood but they seemed did not care about it and casually swim and enjoy their pool. 

Semangka Road, the highest flood level

According to some friends who come from this city, a city famous for its hornbills, previously they had experienced a major flood like this, probably about 10 years ago. Since in this small town, there are rare things that horrendous the city, so even for the flood moment they made it as a special event to be enjoyed. I could only shake my head only to realize  this phenomenon and think, Did they not realize that this is a disaster and must immediately evacuate? Well that’s a thing for a small city like this.

Finally after a sore foot, toe blisters (I wear sandals in the water, kind of regret about this) as well as experience itching due to unsanitary water, finally we finished the measurement and then headed to the main road (near the monument of peace) while waiting for a car shuttle to return to office (at that time the water on the main road is not as high as in other road).  In this activity we get the highest measurement is on Semangka Road with water elevation around 95 m height. Noted that that was only the first day and water was still  continue to increase up to 3 days ahead. 

After joining the other teams we were invited by the team leader, Mrs. Pelmi, to eat noodles, dumplings and meatballs, and all on her .. yesss I've just heard  free food and my spirit went up again hahahaha. After I got home, my feet sore already and feel really itchy, so I had to rush to get cleaned up and then afterwards packing all stuff (again) as a precaution in case of the increase of water level again. 

The 2 team regroup together after an exhausted walk

February 11, 2015

The second day of the flood and the water has risen to the top of the front steps, leaving only a distance of as high as 2 knuckles before inundating the patio as a whole. This day is still as usual, we did shoping and cooking. it was the most exciting shopping activities ever, because I finally have a chance to ride a Ketingting (a small sized water transportation modes) used by local people every day if you want to cross over to the next town, but this time the boat was used inside the city road because the water was high enough and only can be passed by this type of transportation. 

Originally, we intended to charge our gadges at one of my coworkers because earlier we heard from him that there is a backup electricity machine at his home and his house was not waterlogged yet. But unfortunately when we arrived there, turned out his house was almost the same condition with us and the machinery cannot be started because it was slightly submerged in water. As a result we went straight to the market and did the shopping. I took some photograph during the ride though hehe

 

 in front of my boarding house

After shopping and cooking activities, I just lie down at home because there was nothing else I could do, mobile signals was off and it was really hard to have communication and sending news to others. Water still increasing and at the dusk, heavy rain began pouring Tanjung city. I just can expect flooding to subside because this disaster reminds me of similar events in my hometown of Banda Aceh in the year 2000. Flood reached 3 meters high and I still remember how difficult it was to get clean water and food are only dependent on outside assistance channeled through Getek and Ketingting. Hopefully this flood will subside soon. Amen.

February 12, 2015

After heavy rain overnight, Thank God when I woke up this morning the water had receded. Water already passed its highest point overnight and began increasingly recede. But the problem today was clean water. We have a shortage of clean water, only use it  for primary purposes, just enough for BAB, BAK and ablution for 2 days only. But thank God the clean water began to flowed back again at 9 am and our home was filled with gratitude. We live again!!!!!!!!!


note:

I realize something after this disaster happened that whenever I come and live in some cities, I always experience the most tremendous disaster ever happen on earth (or at least in that city). 
I lived in Aceh and I experience flood (2000) and earthquake and tsunami (2004)
I lived in Taiwan and I know how it feels to have the biggest Typhoon on 2012
I live in Tanjung selor and I (again) experience the biggest flood ever happened there on 2015

What a life :P