U.S. EMBASSY  WARDEN MESSAGE

December 28, 2007

U.S. Embassy Jakarta
U.S. Consulate General Surabaya
U.S. Consulate Medan

Preparing for the Rainy Season

As we approach the time of year when Indonesia experiences its heaviest rainfall, the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta would like to remind everyone of some very simple steps you can take to prepare you and your family for the very real possibility of flooding.  

1) If there is heavy, sustained rainfall that increases the potential for flooding and you plan to travel in a vehicle, you should ensure that your cell phone is sufficiently charged, and that your gas tank is no less than three quarters full. 

2) It is also important to know alternate routes to and from your destination.  For those of you who are experiencing your first rainy season in Indonesia, it may be advisable to talk to your neighbors about routes and what to expect in your specific area. 

3) Last year, many Americans experienced power outages and were unable to get their generators working.  Others found themselves isolated due to high water on the streets near their residences.  Now is the time to confirm you have an ample supply of food, water, natural gas, flashlights and batteries should you find yourself in such a situation. 

Car-Free Day

The City Administration for Jakarta will hold another Car-Free Day on Sunday, December 30, 2007, in an effort to curb air pollution in the city.  The areas that will be affected are Old Town, West Jakarta, as well as Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta. 

Register to Receive SMS Warden Messages

The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta would also like to remind you of our new SMS Warden Message alert service which is being offered to interested American citizens.  Our SMS service may be especially useful during the flooding season because you will be able to receive SMS Warden Messages on your hand phone when you are away from the office or home.  

Infokom Elektrindo will run this optional SMS service system and will accept hand phone registrations from all hand phone operators within Indonesia.

YOU WILL BE CHARGED RUPIAH 1,000 PER SMS MESSAGE SENT TO YOU BY THE EMBASSY AS PART OF THIS SERVICE.

To register for the service, compose an e-mail utilizing the following format, and send it to phone number 9388 using your hand phone:

REG<space>ALRT<space>LASTNAME#FIRSTNAME#DATE OF BIRTH (MMDDYYYY)#PASSPORT NUMBER#CITY#E-MAIL ADDRESS

Sample:

REG ALRT BROWN#DAVID#05031972#01234567#YOGYAKARTA#mrbrown@yaboo.com

After registering for the service, each subscriber will receive an SMS message confirming his/her registration. 

Americans living and traveling in Indonesia are urged to register and update their contact information with the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, the U.S. Consulate General in Surabaya, or the U.S. Consular Agency in Bali.  Registration facilitates the U.S. Mission’s contact with Americans in emergency situations, and may be done on line and in advance of travel.  Information on registering can be found at the U.S. Department of State’s Consular Affairs website at http://travelregistration.state.gov and at the Embassy’s website at http://jakarta.usembassy.gov.  All Travel Warnings, Public Announcements and recent warden messages are posted on the Embassy website.

The Embassy is located at Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan No. 4-5, Jakarta; the 24-hour telephone number is 62-21-3435-9000.  The telephone number of the U.S. Consulate General in Surabaya is 62-31-295-6400; the number for the U.S. Consulate in Medan is 62-61-415-2200; the number for the U.S. Consular Agency in Bali is 62-361-233-605.