50,000 flee as floods hit Rokanhulu regency<\/p>\n
Chaidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau<\/p>\n
Some 50,000 people fled to safer areas as floods triggered by
\nthree days of rain inundated their houses and farmland in at
\nleast 27 villages in Rokanhulu regency, Riau province, on
\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
No casualties were reported, but thousands of livestock such
\nas cows, water buffaloes, goats and chickens were swept away by
\nthe floods, the biggest to plague the town since 1976, after
\ntheir owners failed to rescue them.<\/p>\n
The floods also cut the Riau-West Sumatra highway as a
\nlandslide swept across the street at Tanjung Alai village in Tiga
\nBelas Koto subdistrict in Kampar regency, around 80 kilometers
\nfrom the Riau capital of Pekanbaru.<\/p>\n
As a result, hundreds of trucks, buses and other vehicles
\nheading to and from Riau were left stranded in a seven-kilometer
\ntraffic jam.<\/p>\n
The vehicles were later rerouted to alternative roads, and
\nmotorists had to travel for many additional hours to reach their
\ndestinations.<\/p>\n
Many passengers traveling to West Sumatra had to change buses
\nin order to continue their journeys, while others had to turn
\nback and return home.<\/p>\n
Kampar Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Suaroso Hadi asked trucks
\nfrom West Sumatra carrying rice, vegetables and other staple
\nfoods to take the route that runs through Kiliran Jao, so they
\nwould arrive in Riau about nine hours faster than if they took
\nother alternative routes.<\/p>\n
\"We suggest that trucks transporting basic commodities to pass
\nthrough Kiliran Jao to get to Riau. This is aimed at anticipating
\npossible shortages of rice and vegetable in Pekanbaru, Riau,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The flooding that hit the 27 villages in three subdistricts --
\nBangun Purba, Kunto and Kota Pasir Pangaraian -- in the regency
\nof Rokanhulu, around 250 kilometers from Pekanbaru, ensued after
\nthree days of heavy rains which began Sunday.<\/p>\n
The rains caused the Batang Labu River in the town of Pasir
\nPangaraian and other rivers nearby to overflow. Most of the
\naffected houses and farmland ready for harvest were located near
\nthe Batang Labu River.<\/p>\n
Floodwater reached a height of at least one meter, forcing
\ntens of thousands of villagers to flee to safer areas en masse.<\/p>\n
Sutikno, a 34-year-old resident at Pasir Pangaraian, told The
\nJakarta Post on Tuesday that he and other fellow villagers had
\nabandoned their houses, and had failed to rescue thousands of
\ntheir livestock from being washed away.<\/p>\n
He and other local residents predicted that damages caused by
\nthe flooding would cost about Rp 10 billion.<\/p>\n
\"We can do very little in this. We just hope that the local
\ngovernment will provide us with assistance soon,\" Sutikno said.<\/p>\n
Riau Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Pandiangan said at least
\n60 personnel had been deployed to help victims in the affected
\nvillages and prevent further damages from the floods.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Rokanhulu administration established flood
\ncontrol posts, which are tasked with channeling humanitarian aid
\nto the victims, among other duties.<\/p>\n
So far, at least 10 tons of rice and hundreds of packages of
\nnoodles have been distributed to the victims.<\/p>\n
\"We have set up emergency soup kitchens in several locations
\nto ensure that food is readily available to victims,\" Deputy
\nRokanhulu Regent Auni M. Nur said.<\/p>\n
He blamed the floods on the rampant deforestation in border
\nareas between Riau and North Sumatra, including the protected
\nMahato Forest where illegal logging continues unchecked.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/50000-flee-as-floods-hit-rokanhulu-regency-1447893297",
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