REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, KARAWANG -  President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on regional governments to remain alert for potential natural disasters as the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had forecasted bad weather to continue until March. 

"The BMKG has forecast that the bad weather will continue till March, hence, the heads of regional governments should stay on alert," the President remarked during a visit to a command post for flood victims in Karawang, West Java, on Tuesday.

The President stated that he had received flood updates from several regions. He also instructed the heads of regional governments in the affected regions to handle the flood problem on a priority basis.

"I called Jokowi (governor of Jakarta), Ahmad Heryawan (governor of West Java) the governors of North Sumatra and South Sulawesi. Today, I have also coordinated with the government leaders in Jambi, Benkulu, Central Java, and Maluku. I have urged them to promptly use logistics sources and other local resources," the President claimed.

On the occasion, President Yudhoyono, flanked by First Lady Any Yudhoyono, was informed by the Karawang District Head Ade Swara that 28 out of the 30 subdistricts in Karawang had been affected by floods. Karawang district administration has declared a state of emergency following floods that affected 25 subdistricts in the past few days.

"The state of emergency in Karawang will last for 14 days, effective January 19," Swara noted in a press statement released on Tuesday.

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