VZCZCXRO9028
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #0311 0370806
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 060806Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3158
INFO RHHJJPI/USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0406
RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 0810
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 1331
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE USD FAS WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEAWJB/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000311 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SES-O, EAP/MTS, EAP/EX, S/CT, DS/IP/EAP, 
DS/DSS/ITA, DS/CC 
BANGKOK FOR COMPANY C 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC AMGT CASC PGOV ID
SUBJECT:  February 6 Update On Flooding In Jakarta 
 
Ref:  Jakarta 0304 
 
¶1.  Extremely heavy rains overnight were mitigated somewhat by a dry 
and partly sunny day in Jakarta as of 15:00 Tuesday.  Morning 
rush-hour was difficult with standing water sporadically throughout 
the city, but improved as the day wore on.  Meteorologists continue 
to anticipate further rain over the next two weeks. 
 
¶2.  Government offices, embassies and businesses remain hampered by 
the same conditions:  reduced staffing, intermittent or incomplete 
utilities and transportation bottlenecks.  Not much change in the 
political situation; managing rescue efforts, the water flow through 
the city and, once it's done, the cleanup are the top priorities. 
As before, the public remains calm, cooperative and fairly 
quiescent.  Local staff who remember The Great Flood of 2002 see 
this year's deluge as decidedly worse, especially in terms of how 
widespread the effects of the flooding are.  Much more of the city 
is under water than in 2002, and The Jakarta Post in an editorial 
yesterday called it the worst flooding in Jakarta's history. 
 
Ascertaining the numbers of displaced persons is proving an inexact 
science.  The official GOI figure on Sunday was 200,000; the BBC is 
reporting 340,000 as being homeless. 
 
¶3.  The Embassy was relatively well-staffed today, with almost all 
Americans getting into the Embassy as well as a large number of LES 
staff.  Facilities and Warehouse were staffed by some 70% of their 
FSN employees.  Approximately 85% of our motor pool drivers were 
able to get to work.  60% of Information Service Center staff was 
present.  Some commutes from the south of the city took two and half 
hours; more than double the normal commute time. 
 
¶4.  The Library of Congress office is running off of 
generator-supplied power.  Efforts to restore power at the Navy's 
NAMRU2 facility were initially successful but subsequently failed; 
emergency power is being supplied to the critical freezer units 
there through a generator, and the ICASS staff is working with 
NAMRU2 to supply a small back-up generator in case the primary 
fails. 
 
¶5.  Several housing units that lost power yesterday in the early 
morning hours were restored in the late afternoon/early evening, and 
at this time there are no reports of Embassy housing units without 
either city power or, in a small number of cases, generator power. 
 
¶6.  Travel to and from the airport is taking an average of two-plus 
hours using back roads and imaginative routing (normal travel time 
is 45-60 minutes). 
 
¶7.  Embassy communication systems are generally working, although 
there are intermittent problems with phone lines.  Internet is still 
out in many places throughout the city.  The Embassy has set up some 
temporarily vacant housing units in the nearby Prapatan compound for 
use by emergency FSN staff who are not able to commute reliably.  We 
also have MREs and cots staged at the embassy in case staff needs to 
seek shelter within the Chancery. 
 
¶8.  Our FSN Association is working with Management staff to identify 
FSNs most in need of support, and the Mission has started a drive to 
raise funds, food and clothing for those most in need.  We will work 
with the Department on accessing the central FSN Support Fund if 
appropriate. 
 
Pascoe