Locals return home as flood subsides<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Blitar\/Pekanbaru\/Medan<\/p>\n
Thousands of Blitar residents began to return home on Tuesday as
\nflooding subsided in the area on the same day.<\/p>\n
However, after cleaning up their houses, some residents
\nquickly returned to refugee camps on higher ground, fearing more
\nflash floods in the regency.<\/p>\n
\"None of the Tambakrejo residents dare sleep at home. We are
\nscared,\" said Sri Winarsih, a resident of Tambakrejo district,
\none of three districts in the regency hit by the fatal flash
\nflood last Thursday.<\/p>\n
The flash flood -- which hit Sutojayan, Kademangan and
\nTambakrejo districts -- resulted in the deaths of at least 14
\npeople.<\/p>\n
The residents were concerned that floods may reoccur, as it
\nhad rained in the area in the afternoon in the past few days,
\nsaid Winarsih.<\/p>\n
The residents were also concerned over the spread of various
\ndiseases in the district, due to the poor sanitation caused by
\nthe flood.<\/p>\n
Some 350 residents visited community health centers in the
\nTambakrejo district on Tuesday suffered from respiratory
\ndiseases, skin ailments and injuries following the flood and
\nlandslide in the district.<\/p>\n
It is feared more people will suffer from diarrhea in the
\ncoming days, as the district lacks clean water, said Darsono, a
\nhealth worker.<\/p>\n
Thousands of school children in the Tambakrejo, Kademangan and
\nSutojayan districts were still absent from school on Tuesday, as
\nthe school building was devastated by the flash flood.<\/p>\n
Some classrooms were ruined, while many others cannot be used
\nas they are covered in mud.<\/p>\n
Students chose to stay at home or to go to school to help
\nclean the school building.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile local governments began to count the total losses
\nresulting from the flash flood. Suwito, the spokesman of
\nSutojayan district, said that the flooding had brought total
\nlosses to local residents of some Rp 28 billion (US$3.1 million).<\/p>\n
The losses were calculated from the damage to hundreds of
\nhouses and infrastructure such as bridges and, the death of
\nthousands of chickens and livestock.<\/p>\n
Separately, similar flooding in Rokan Hilir regency, Riau
\nprovince, also subsided on Tuesday, with total losses reaching
\nsome Rp 40 billion. The flooding in the past two weeks in the
\narea has inundated thousands of hectares of paddy fields and
\nplantations and damaged thousands of houses and roads.<\/p>\n
In North Tapanuli regency, North Sumatra, heavy rain in the
\narea led to a fatal landslide on Sunday, which killed one
\nresident, while another resident was still missing as of Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The landslide happened in Sipahutar district in the regency,
\nsaid Deputy First Insp. A. Nainggolan from Sipahutar Police
\nstation. Riana Simangunsong was found dead in her home, while
\nAbner Simangunsong has been missing since the landslide.<\/p>",
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