BLITAR – Strong winds in Blitar have caused multiple incidents of fallen trees and damaged public facilities as extreme weather continues to affect the region in recent days.
Heavy rain and strong winds struck several areas in Blitar, disrupting traffic and damaging infrastructure. Large roadside trees collapsed and blocked several roads across the city.
The situation follows warnings from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), which predicted extreme weather across East Java from March 1 to March 10.
Meteorologists say several atmospheric disturbances drive the unstable weather pattern. These include the Madden–Julian Oscillation, low-frequency waves, and Rossby waves moving across the region.
Warm sea surface temperatures south of Java and unstable local atmospheric conditions also encourage the formation of convective clouds. These clouds can trigger moderate to heavy rainfall, lightning, and strong winds.
According to the Blitar City Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the first strong wind incident occurred Tuesday night at around 8:30 p.m. Residents quickly reported several fallen trees through the city’s 112 emergency call center.
Agus Suherli, head of BPBD Blitar City, said the worst impacts occurred in the Kepanjenkidul district.
“A tabebuya tree collapsed on Jalan Ciliwung in Tanggung village. The tree hit electricity and telephone cables and caused a temporary power outage in several areas,” he said.
A large banyan tree about one meter in diameter also fell on Jalan Cisarua in Ngadirejo village. The tree struck a field fence and briefly disrupted traffic.
Strong winds also tore off the roof of a neighborhood security post in the Bangsongan area of Ngadirejo. The 4-by-6-meter roof landed on the road and blocked access for residents. Authorities estimate the material loss at around three million rupiah.
Several other incidents occurred in the same district. A petai tree collapsed onto a livestock shed, while a teak branch broke on Jalan M. Yamin and struck a public streetlight cable.
Meanwhile, a glodokan tiang tree fell on Jalan Sumberjajar and blocked the road.
Another incident occurred Thursday morning. A trembesi tree about 50 centimeters in diameter fell on Jalan Bengawan Solo in Tanjungsari village, Sukorejo district.
The tree struck power and telephone lines and hit the roof of a nearby house. Fortunately, no one was inside the house at the time.
Authorities confirmed that no casualties occurred in the series of incidents.
BPBD teams and other agencies immediately cleared the affected areas. Workers cut the fallen trees and removed debris so vehicles could pass safely again.
Agus urged residents to stay alert as extreme weather may continue in the coming days.
“We urge residents to stay careful when they go outdoors, especially near large trees or billboards. If an emergency occurs, people should immediately contact the 112 call center,” he said.