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Flimsy Billboards Worry Jakarta Officials
Dofa Fasila | January 09, 2012

A worker moving a statue that was struck by a falling tree at the Museum of Memorial Stone Park during a storm last week in Jakarta on Monday. (JG Photo/Safir Makki) A worker moving a statue that was struck by a falling tree at the Museum of Memorial Stone Park during a storm last week in Jakarta on Monday. (JG Photo/Safir Makki)
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notreadeeyet
10:54pm Jan 9, 2012

"Some billboard owners, Fauzi said, only had theirs built well enough to withstand normal weather conditions in order to save money on construction."

Hmmmmmmmmmm much like their bridges eh Fuzz???


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Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo on Monday inspected billboards across the capital, acting on expectations that strong wind and heavy rain could hit the city and damage the advertisements.

Last week, six billboards collapsed when inclement weather hit Jakarta.

A pickup truck was crushed by a falling billboard in Tomang, West Jakarta, that also brought down an electric pole. The driver was electrocuted and died.

Fauzi said officials would first inspect billboards owned by the city, adding that Monday’s investigation revealed that some were not structurally sound.

“So [the billboards] can easily collapse,” he said. “That is why maybe this week drastic measures will be taken, including dismantling billboards that are not strongly constructed.”

Some billboard owners, Fauzi said, only had theirs built well enough to withstand normal weather conditions in order to save money on construction.

“But in cases of strong winds, there is added force which can lead to devastating results and can harm the public. I want [all billboards] to be re-evaluated and examined,” he said.

The government, he continued, would ensure that companies operating the billboards that collapsed during last week’s storm compensated the city for the damage.

“In a contract between the government and the operators, any damage is the responsibility of the operators,” Fauzi said. “We don’t want accidents to happen. That’s why we are taking precautionary measures.”

Jakarta’s administration operates 160 billboards across the city. Private companies own at least 800 billboards in the capital.

The heavy rains and strong winds that struck Jakarta last week were initially estimated to have caused Rp 270 billion ($29.7 million) in damage to vehicles and lost earnings, city officials said.

The Jakarta Police Traffic Management Center said 14 cars and three motorcycles were hit by fallen trees.

The amount of insurance that the city park and cemetery office might have to pay could reach Rp 170 million.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned of light to medium rains that could continue hitting the city in the next few days. There was also a high possibility of strong winds, it said.

Fauzi said the Jakarta government had temporarily banned all city officials from traveling outside the city so that they could stay in Jakarta and prepare for potential flooding.

“All the city officials have been told to anticipate [floods],” he said. “Every hour they will monitor the weather conditions and water levels.”

The Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) said more than 26,500 officials had been deployed in anticipation of the flooding to come. That figure did not even include police and military officers, it added.

The government has also asked six district hospitals and 105 private hospitals to accept possible flood victims. It has also set up emergency shelters in 62 wards across the capital that are prone to annual flooding.

Dien Emmawati, the head of the city’s health office, said the government had prepared medical supplies to give to aid potential flood victims.

“We have enough medicine, including leftovers from the Southeast Asian Games,” she said.