Extreme Temperature Diary-Friday January 17th, 2020/ Main Topic: Jakarta Flooding…Some Aftermath And Climate Crisis Connections

Friday January 17th… Dear Diary. The main purpose of this ongoing blog will be to track United States extreme or record temperatures related to climate change. Any reports I see of ETs will be listed below the main topic of the day. I’ll refer to extreme or record temperatures as ETs (not extraterrestrials).😉

Main Topic: Jakarta Flooding…Some Aftermath And Climate Crisis Connections

Dear Diary. I’ve gone in depth about the Australian fires on past posts, which were one of the first big, widespread climate crisis events of 2020. The other, Jakarta’s flooding, has affected thousands of people as well. Perhaps these two events are connected since Australia experienced extreme heat in December leading to the fires, and Indonesia is geographically located just to the north of the big island continent. Could convergence causing convection (meteorologically) that produced Jakarta’s flooding be connected to Australia’s heat? I suspect so, but we will need to wait and see if studies come out on this. Also, Australian connection or not we do know that a warmer world leads to heavier precipitation.

Both Indonesia and Australia are surrounded by above average temperature water, as is much of the rest of the world in early 2020:

For those who have not known about Jakarta’s flooding here is a CNN article:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/02/asia/jakarta-floods-intl/index.html

Jakarta floods leave dozens dead and 60,000 displaced

By Tara John, CNN

Updated 1:21 PM ET, Thu January 2, 2020

(CNN)Severe flooding in Jakarta that’s left swaths of the capital underwater has killed at least 30 people and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes, according to Indonesia’s disaster agency. Torrential rains have been pounding the greater Jakarta region since New Year’s Eve, causing 62,453 people to be evacuated to temporary shelters, the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management said in a statement Thursday. Most of the victims died in Bogor district and East Jakarta, the agency said. Among the dead, 17 were swept away by the floods, five were buried by landslides and five were electrocuted. Heavy rains are predicted to continue through to January 10, it added.

Images from Jakarta’s greater metropolitan area, which is home to about 30 million people, showed residents wading through chest-high flood waters as they attempted to retrieve items from their waterlogged homes.The flooding is the worst the city has seen in decades. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency measured 15 inches of rain at an East Jakarta airport on January 1, the highest flood reading since 1996, Reuters reported.

Up to 30 million people live in the region.

Up to 30 million people live in the region. In a separate statement, the disaster management board implored residents in affected areas, who chose to stay and protect their homes, to evacuate. Indonesian President Joko Widodo blamed the situation on delays to the construction of flood-control infrastructure in a post on Twitter. Jakarta, which is prone to flooding, is one of the fastest-sinking cities in the world. Last year, the government announced that it is relocating the megalopolis — a project estimated to cost the equivalent of around $34 billion.

In the aftermath of the flooding we are learning that lawsuits are occurring against Indonesia’s governor:

https://www.ibtimes.com/flood-hit-jakarta-residents-sue-over-deadly-disaster-2901924

Flood-hit Jakarta Residents Sue Over Deadly Disaster

By AFP News
01/13/20 AT 11:52 PM

Jakarta’s governor has been hit with a lawsuit filed by residents of the sprawling city after torrential rain sparked floods and landslides that killed dozens and left thousands homeless, a lawyer said Tuesday.

More than 200 flood victims are seeking a total of 43 billion rupiah ($3 million) in compensation in the class action, which was filed Monday in Jakarta district court.

The suit claims Governor Anies Baswedan was responsible for failing to provide the megacity with a proper early-warning system and effective emergency measures to minimise deaths and financial losses.

The city’s legal bureau did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“This should serve as a lesson for local government elsewhere to be more aware of disaster mitigation,” lawyer Alvon Kurnia Palma told AFP.

The flooding was triggered by heavy rain that started on New Year's Eve

The flooding was triggered by heavy rain that started on New Year’s Eve Photo: AFP / Bay ISMOYO

“If this happens in Jakarta, where the central government is located, it could happen anywhere,” he added.

The disaster caused at least $72 million in damage and monetary losses, according to business lobby the Indonesian Indigenous Entrepreneurs Association.

Jakarta’s governor has been hit with a lawsuit filed by residents of the sprawling city after torrential rain sparked floods and landslides that killed dozens and left thousands homeless, a lawyer said Tuesday.

More than 200 flood victims are seeking a total of 43 billion rupiah ($3 million) in compensation in the class action, which was filed Monday in Jakarta district court.

The suit claims Governor Anies Baswedan was responsible for failing to provide the megacity with a proper early-warning system and effective emergency measures to minimise deaths and financial losses.

The city’s legal bureau did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“This should serve as a lesson for local government elsewhere to be more aware of disaster mitigation,” lawyer Alvon Kurnia Palma told AFP.

Whole neighbourhoods in the capital — a megalopolis home to around 30 million people — were submerged by floodwaters that forced tens of thousands into temporary shelters after torrential rains that began on New Year’s Eve.

It was the city’s deadliest flooding in years, with Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency saying downpours that sparked floods and landslides were the heaviest in the capital since record-keeping began in the 19th century.

At least 67 people in Jakarta and nearby cities were killed, with floodwaters reaching up to the second floor of some buildings after rivers burst their banks.

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I may post more on Jakarta flooding the next few days in my news section.

Here is that climate and weather news section from Friday:

(As usual, this will be a fluid post in which more information gets added during the day as it crosses my radar, crediting all who have put it on-line. Items will be archived on this site for posterity. In most instances click on the pictures of each tweet to see each article.)

Here are some “ET’s” from overseas:

(If you like these posts and my work please contribute via the PayPal widget, which has recently been added to this site. Thanks in advance for any support.) 

Guy Walton “The Climate Guy”

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