U.S. EMBASSY  WARDEN MESSAGE

February 5, 2007

U.S. Embassy Jakarta
Warden Message
 

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.

The Embassy plans to remain open for consular services during regularly scheduled business hours, unless severe flooding near the Embassy necessitates a temporary closure. Americans seeking non-urgent consular services should be aware that processing times may be slower than usual, due to staff absences because of the floods. Americans are welcome to call the Consular Section at 021-3435-9050 between 07:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., or to e-mail to jakconsul@state.gov  to seek up-to-date information before coming to the Embassy for consular services. In an emergency, Americans unable to reach the Consular Section at the Embassy in Jakarta may telephone the U.S. Consulate General in Surabaya at 031-395-6400.

The Embassy strongly encourages Americans in Indonesia, including short-term visitors, to register with the Embassy in Jakarta, the Consulate General in Surabaya, or the Consular Agent in Bali. Registration may be done on-line at http://jakarta.usembassy.gov/consular/onlinereg.html or by telephone to the numbers below.

Information on registration procedures, all security-related Travel Warnings and Public Announcements, and recent Embassy warden messages are posted on the Embassy’s website at http://jakarta.usembassy.gov.

The Embassy is located at Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan, No. 4-5, Jakarta; the 24-hour telephone number is 021-3435-9000. The telephone number of the Consulate General in Surabaya is 031-295-6400; the telephone number of the U.S. Consular Agency in Bali is 0361-233-605.