Search for 169 missing in flood-hit Nias to end<\/p>\n
GUNUNGSITOLI, North Sumatra (JP): Search and rescue personnel
\nwere still searching for 169 missing people in flood-hit Nias on
\nSunday, but the search operation would be stopped on Wednesday,
\nor two weeks after devastating flooding that had killed 108
\npeople.<\/p>\n
Disaster center coordinator S. Halawa said on Sunday that Nias
\nregent Binahati B. Bacha had sent a note to the center about the
\nplanned stoppage of the rescue operation on account of the time
\nalready devoted to the effort.<\/p>\n
"Fourteen days for the rescue operation is considered
\nsufficient," Halawa told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Search and rescue team members, according to Halawa, are being
\nwithdrawn from a number of disaster locations and victim
\nevacuation work is now concentrated on the district of Lahusa,
\nwhere more victims are believed to remain stranded.<\/p>\n
In other areas such as Gomo, Telukdalam, Lolomatua, Lolowa'u,
\nBawolato and Amandraya, no more victims were discovered during a
\nweekend three-day operation.<\/p>\n
Halawa also said that relief aid continued to flood the
\ncenter, including Rp 1.25 billion (US$138,000) in cash, but the
\ndistribution of the aid to the stricken areas had been hampered
\nby the collapse of bridges on the main road to the affected
\nareas.<\/p>\n
"Large-scale relief aid will reach victims on Tuesday," Halawa
\ntold The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a number of victims have been crying out for help.<\/p>\n
"We want that aid to be sent quickly because we are all hungry
\nhere," said Lawe, a victim in Lahusa district, who lost his
\nmother and brother.<\/p>\n
All districts hit by the storm were in the southern half of
\nNias island.<\/p>\n
Most residents of the island were sleeping when the fierce
\nstorm lashed southern districts early on July 31, triggering
\nfloods and landslides that swept away more than 500 homes.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of survivors are being housed in schools and churches
\nwhere local officials are operating public kitchens. Hundreds
\nmore have taken shelter with relatives in unaffected areas.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Nias Regent Binahati B. Bacha denied media reports
\nthat logging by forestry firms was the main cause of the recent
\nviolent flooding on Nias.<\/p>\n
"There are no forest concessions on Nias island. We have two
\nconcessions in Nias regency, but not on Nias island," he told the
\nPost.<\/p>\n
He said the two concessions belonged to PT Gruti on Batu
\nisland and PT Teluk Nauli on Belo island.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the regent acknowledged that deforestation
\ncaused by local people may be behind the recent flooding.<\/p>\n
Local people started cutting down forest trees three years ago
\nand planted the lucrative shrubs that produce the fragrant
\npatchouli oil, which is worth Rp 1.2 million per kilogram.
\n(42\/28)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/search-for-169-missing-in-flood-hit-nias-to-end-1447893297",
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