Jakarta, Indonesia Flooding

Business travelers with plans to visit Jakarta may want to reschedule. The city is experiencing flooding that is causing severe disruptions in travel. The standard 40 minute trip to the city center from the airport is now lasting a whopping 2 and a half hours.

The possibility of contracting one or another disease has become an issue in the city, as a result of the flooding.

The US Embassy warns potential travelers of the following:

The U.S. Embassy informs Americans in Indonesia that several days of heavy rains have caused widespread flooding in and around Jakarta. As of February 5, 2007, more than 400,000 people have been left homeless by flooding. Traffic in metropolitan Jakarta and on access roads into Jakarta has been seriously disrupted. Landline and cellular telephone connections are disrupted in many parts of the city. Power outages are widespread. Indonesian government meteorologists predict continued heavy rainfall over the next several days and sporadic heavy rains continuing until early March.

The Embassy urges Americans residing in Jakarta to take necessary precautions to deal with the flood emergency. Non-essential travel around the city should be curtailed. It is prudent to monitor local news reports frequently, and to consult with Indonesian friends and colleagues concerning accessibility of roads for essential travel. Americans should keep adequate supplies of non-perishable food, drinking water, flashlights and batteries, and candles and matches in their homes. Those needing prescription medicines should keep adequate supplies on hand in case access to shopping or delivery of supplies to pharmacies is interrupted.

The Embassy suggests that Americans residing outside Jakarta defer non-essential travel to Jakarta until the floods have receded. Many government offices and commercial businesses in Jakarta are closed or operating on restricted hours due to flooding. Access to Jakarta’s Soekarno Hatta International Airport is difficult, and travel between the airport and Central Jakarta is taking several hours. Taxis are in short supply and some taxi drivers have increased fares significantly.

If you have plans to travel to Jakarta soon, check for updated warnings and flight cancellations.