11 killed, three missing as flooding sweeps Nias

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.