Flooding, landslides hit Java, Sumatra islands<\/p>\n
Puji Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru<\/p>\n
After the prolonged dry season, rain has begun falling in various
\nareas across the archipelago over the past few days, leading to
\nlandslides and flooding.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of residents of Pekanbaru had to abandon their homes
\non Monday after floodwaters rose to a depth of one meter in
\nseveral parts of the city. Meanwhile, a landslide took the life
\nof one person in Dairi regency, North Sumatra, while another
\ndamaged a number of houses in Jember regency, East Java province.<\/p>\n
Tengku Bahdar, a resident of Meranti Pandak subdistrict,
\nPekanbaru, Riau province, called on the government to quickly
\nprovide food aid and establish emergency medical posts to help
\nresidents cope with the flooding.<\/p>\n
Food was running short and ailments such as diarrhea and
\nrespiratory infections had begun to spread, he said.<\/p>\n
Due to the flooding, the residents had been forced to seek
\nshelter in the houses of relatives and public buildings such as
\nschools.<\/p>\n
Responding to the demands from local residents, the head of
\nRumbai Pesisir district, Noverius, said that the district
\ngovernment would soon dispatch medicines and food supplies to the
\nresidents. Meanwhile, Pekanbaru Mayor Herman Abdullah promised
\nthat the municipal government would soon set up refugee camps and
\npublic kitchens in safer areas.<\/p>\n
The flooding in Riau province spread to Rokanhulu regency a
\nfew days ago, claiming one live and inundating hundreds of
\nhouses, plantations and paddy fields.<\/p>\n
The Rokanhulu flooding has cost local people and the
\ngovernment Rp 5.3 billion (US$588,888), said Syamsi Sani, the
\ndirector of the Social Welfare Office in the Rokanhulu regental
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
In North Sumatra, a landslide hit Sunbul subdistrict in Dairi
\nregency, some 200 kilometers from Medan, killing a resident and
\ninjuring several others.<\/p>\n
The landslide buried two houses on Sunday, killing Netty
\nHabeahaan, 48, who was inside one of the houses. Several other
\nresidents were able to escape, although they suffered minor
\ninjuries, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
A landslide also buried a number of houses in Jatiroto Lor
\nsubdistrict, Jember regency, later on Monday, but no fatalities
\nwere reported. The landslide occurred after heavy rain had been
\nfalling in the area for the past week. Local people had to flee
\nto safety for fear of another landslide.<\/p>\n
Sujak Hidayat, a senior government official in the Jember
\nregency administration, said that the government would soon set
\nup a disaster management team to monitor the landslide threat.<\/p>\n
In Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan, main
\nthoroughfares in the city were flooded after two-days of rain.
\nThe flooding led to widespread traffic congestion in the city.<\/p>",
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