TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hundreds of homes were damaged by land movement in Padasari Village, Jatinegara District, Tegal Regency, Central Java, on February 2, 2026. Up to now, thousands of people have been forced to evacuate due to the incident.
According to data from the Central Java Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), as many as 863 houses were affected. Among them, 413 houses suffered severe damage, 189 houses were moderately damaged, and 97 houses were slightly damaged.
The land movement also damaged several public facilities, including seven schools, seven places of worship, 21 social facilities, and one government office. Additionally, irrigation dams, roads, and bridges were affected. "Total evacuees are 575 families, totaling 2,461 people," said the head of the Central Java BPBD, Bergas Catursari Penanggungan, on Wednesday, February 11, 2026.
He stated that the Tegal Regency Government had sent letters and coordinated with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) and directly with the Geological Agency to further study the land movement in Padasari Village. Temporary housing will also be built for the affected residents. "The construction of temporary shelters will use land from Perhutani and buildings from BNPB," said Bergas.
Among the affected residents is Piyus Aljamali, 43 years old. He was seen removing a cupboard from his house on Wednesday afternoon, February 11, 2026. The resident of Padasari Village bravely entered his tilting and nearly collapsing house, claiming to be trying to save his furniture. The ceramic floor of the house was full of cracks, some protruding upwards, leaving wide gaps.
Indeed, all the houses in Padasari Village suffered more or less the same fate. The landslide, Piyus said, occurred on Monday night, February 2, 2026. The disaster was preceded by a week-long rain that drenched Padasari Village. On the day of the incident, Piyus remembered, "The rain started from 14:00 until 23:00." Then he felt the movement of the land. Cracks then appeared in the ground and across village roads.
A large-scale land movement damaged hundreds of houses in Padasari Village, Jatinegara District, Tegal Regency, Central Java, on February 11, 2026. Tempo/Jamal Abdun Nashr
"It moved little by little. Slow but sure," he said. "Its movement was not visible, but the impact was there." Then the cracks widened. The previously flat roads turned wavy. Several village roads are now impassable by vehicles due to wide gaps.
All buildings in Padasari Village were also damaged. The retaining walls of the houses in the sloping village even collapsed. Beyond that, loud noises could suddenly be heard, indicating collapsed buildings or falling materials.
All residents of Padasari Village are evacuating while trying to salvage their belongings as much as possible. When met today, residents were still moving their belongings from their homes to the evacuation center. "Some items are still in the house," said another resident, 60-year-old Tarik.
Tarik has taken shelter at his brother's house since Wednesday, February 4, 2026. He returned to see his damaged house today. "It has been raining since the afternoon. Then the land shook at night, to the point that it was broadcast using a mosque loudspeaker," he reminisced.
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