11 killed, three missing as flooding sweeps Nias

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

At least eleven people are dead and three others still missing in floods that have swept through several areas of Nias regency, North Sumatra province, local officials said on Friday.

The flooding triggered by day-long heavy rain on Tuesday also swept away or damaged at least 43 houses and forced more than 156 families to flee their villages in two subdistricts, Amandraya and Gomo.

The disaster also destroyed a number of public facilities, such as bridges and school buildings.

Inundated houses were found along riverbanks in at least nine villages.

The Susua, Fono. Gambu and Eho rivers had all overflowed their banks, reports said.

Deputy Nias Regent Agus Hardian Mendrofa told The Jakarta Post that local authorities were still unable to identify the victims due to poor communications with the affected areas.

The Nias administration has dispatched emergency teams to gather information on the victims, he said, adding that the teams had brought food and medical assistance.

Agus said the refugees were being housed in schools and mosques, residences in safer areas and various other centers provided by the local government.

He said that the local authorities had warned the affected villagers living along riverbanks that they should be careful as floods could sweep through their areas at any time amid the continuing rain.

"We had asked residents living along the riverbanks to move, but they refused," he said.

Eddy Kelana, a meteorologist based in North Sumatra, warned of prolonged flooding as rainfall was expected to increase gradually in Nias over the next two months.

Showing concern over the fate of the victims, North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal Nurdin said on Thursday that the provincial administration had sent five tons of rice to the refugees in Nias.

This is the second major outbreak of flooding to hit Nias in less than a year after another disaster left at least 105 people dead and dozens of others missing on July 31, 2001.

The governor said that the previous floods should have taught a lesson to residents about the need to boost efforts to preserve the local environment.

"What we can learn from the flood disaster in Nias is that many people have cut down forests there to grow nilam trees. This is one of the excesses we are talking about," Rizal told journalists after a hearing with members of the province's legislative council.

According to preliminary data gathered by the Nias authorities, four dead victims from Amandraya subdistrict were identified as Yadina Laia, 35, Intan Puspa Dinda Laila, 4, Yuliani Laila, 30, and Mariani Laia, 27.

The missing persons included Faozatulo Laila, 37, Edri Firdaus Laila, 2, and Buna Nukha Laila, 60. The three were all members of one family living in Sisarahili Susua village in Amandraya.