Fresh flooding likely in Nias Island<\/p>\n
MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): With the horror of their
\nexperiences still fresh in the minds of the Nias flood victims,
\nheavy downpours and storms once again hit many areas of Nias
\nisland on Saturday, including the six flood-hit districts,
\nterrifying the islanders and forcing the authorities to evacuate
\npeople living in areas located along riverbanks.<\/p>\n
The incessant rains, which started on Saturday morning, also
\nspread fear among people living in \"safe\" districts, that is
\nthose which were not devastated by Tuesday's flooding, which was
\nreportedly caused by deforestation.<\/p>\n
Coordinator of the Nias Disaster Center A.A. Gulo told The
\nJakarta Post in a telephone interview on Saturday that the bad
\nweather was also hampering the rescuers' helicopter operations.<\/p>\n
\"According to the original schedule, members of the Search and
\nRescue (SAR) team from Jakarta were to fly to the accident site
\nin the morning. But the plan was delayed, and the rescuers had to
\nproceed on foot. They combed the Lahusa, Gomo and Telukdalam
\ndistricts.\"<\/p>\n
\"Despite the heavy rain, they (the SAR team members) found
\nfive more dead bodies in Telukdalam, bringing the death toll to
\n55. We hope that we can recover more bodies later from other
\nareas,\" Gulo said.<\/p>\n
According to the latest information, the number of people
\nmissing is still 114, while 325 houses have been washed away by
\nthe floods.<\/p>\n
Gulo said, however, that the death toll could change at
\nanytime and that all figures given out were just tentative.<\/p>\n
Nias regent Binahati D. Bahea was quoted by Antara as saying
\non Saturday that the death toll had reached 60, and that 124
\npeople were missing.<\/p>\n
Most of the missing were women and children who were asleep
\nwhen the flood swept away their homes in the early hours of
\nTuesday morning.<\/p>\n
According to Bahea, a similar flood occurred 60 years ago,
\n\"but not many people were killed, because people lived on high
\nground at that time.\"<\/p>\n
\"Now many people are living along the riverbanks, which are
\nvulnerable to flooding.\"<\/p>\n
The floods also destroyed four bridges and cut several roads.<\/p>\n
With the bridges down, surface transportation from Gomo to
\nLahusa and from Lahusa to Telukdalam has been disrupted.<\/p>\n
\"The transportation chaos has had an economic impact, such as
\nincreases in the price of staple foodstuffs on the island,\" Gulo
\nsaid. \"One kilogram of rice was previously Rp 3,000 in Gomo and
\nTelukdalam, but now the rice costs Rp 8,000 per kilogram.\"<\/p>\n
This economic impact had intensified the flood victims'
\nsuffering, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Some of flood victims have not yet been evacuated to Lahusa
\nand other accessible areas. A helicopter will fly in with food
\naid for those trapped in remote areas in the Gomo and Telukdalam
\ndistricts if the weather improves on Sunday.\"<\/p>\n
Hundreds of survivors have yet to be evacuated from their
\ndevastated villages, while as many as 550 have been rescued and
\nare receiving temporary shelter in Lahusa.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, North Sumatra province spokesman Eddy Sofyan
\nconfirmed on Saturday that Vice President Hamzah Haz would visit
\nthe flood victims in Nias on Tuesday. (42\/sur)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fresh-flooding-likely-in-nias-island-1447893297",
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