Hailstorm devastates crops in three Lanny Jaya districts, Papua

A rare hailstorm blanketed three districts in Lanny Jaya, Papua Pegunungan, with ice, leaving residents in disbelief and threatening local agriculture. The unusual weather event, which occurred early Sunday, covered homes and yards in white, resembling a snow-covered landscape.

“

Crops are damaged, agriculture has failed to yield.

Local farmers face significant crop damage, with the district head, Aletinus Yigibalom, confirming that the hail was not mere frost but destructive enough to prevent harvests. "Crops are damaged, agriculture has failed to yield," Yigibalom stated, highlighting the severe impact on the community's food supply.

“

We need full support from the province and the center. The team must work quickly and accurately, reporting results hierarchically.

An emergency response team has been mobilized to assess the damage in Kuyawage, Goa Balim, and Wano Barat districts. Yigibalom emphasized the need for urgent support from the provincial and central governments, noting that the disaster could negatively affect food security for up to a year. He described this hailstorm as different from previous frost events, causing more severe destruction.

“

The hailstorm this time is different from before, not just frost, but it destroys plants to the point they cannot be harvested.

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in Wamena attributed the hailstorm to significant convective cloud growth, influenced by regional and local atmospheric factors, with the mountainous terrain of Lanny Jaya contributing to the formation of Cumulonimbus clouds.

“

Simply put, the atmospheric conditions in Lanny Jaya at that time supported the growth of Cumulonimbus clouds, which are the main cause of hailstorms.