A flood inundated hundreds of houses, a number of roads, and tens of hectares of rice fields in Sinjai town, around 250 km southeast of Makassar, on Tuesday following incessant downpours since Monday evening, ANTARA reported. The floodwaters reaching a height of up to around 50 centimeters, caused local residents to panic. They prepared themselves to flee their homes as they were still traumatized by the June 2006 floods which killed more than 200 people in Sinjai and its surrounding areas. Heavy rains since Monday evening also triggered the Mangotong River to overflow, Iskandar, a local resident, said. The flooding also affected a number of schools, including Sinjai State Senior High School (SMU) 2. Sinjai District's information and communication service through loudspeakers warned local inhabitants to increase their alertness in the wake of the flood. "The flood is not that bad, however, we have reminded the people to say on alert," Andi Grandianto, head of the local information and communication service told ANTARA.
