Aceh flood claims five, displaces thousands

The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh/Medan/Cirebon

While the rain that has been falling across Sumatra and Java islands over the past week may provide relief for residents in areas suffered from prolonged drought, they now face other major threats as the rainy season gets underway.

This week's heavy downpours have caused serious floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra and Central Java, which claimed several lives and forced thousands of others to flee their homes.

The rain also inundated hundreds of hectares of paddy fields and damaged hundreds of homes and public buildings.

Jasman Umar, a resident of Babah Rot, said on Friday that floods had killed at least five people who were washed away, together with their houses, on Thursday.

He added that the floods had also forced thousands of people to take refuge in higher areas, and paralyzed road communications between Meulaboh, West Aceh, and Tapaktuan, South Aceh.

A bridge in Lamie village, some 300 kilometers south of Banda Aceh, was washed away by the floods. Telephone installations near the bridge were also inundated, cutting connections to South Aceh.

Floods have also been affecting some 29 villages in Nagan Raya regency, West Aceh, since Wednesday.

"Some 16,000 residents fled from their villages to the regency capital Jeuram," Razali Idris, a villager, told The Jakarta Post.

Rain was forecast to continue in Banda Aceh and some parts of southern coast of Aceh on Friday. Landslides occurred in several highland areas, including near Mount Geureutee, some 40 kilometers southeast of Banda Aceh, with most of the roads in the region being cut.

The floods that hit the Gunungsitoli area in Nias, North Sumatra, on Wednesday have receded while Andam Dewi, Barus, Sorkam and Kolang districts in Central Tapanuli regency were still submerged on Friday.

The task force charged with the handling of natural disasters in the province said that there were no casualties in the floods but that some 800 hectares of ready-to-harvest rice were under water.

Governor T. Rizal Nurdin, who is also the task force's chairman, said that the floods had caused billions of rupiah in losses to the people in Nias and Central Tapanuli.

He said he had sent a team comprising officers from the Indonesian Red Cross and the local health office to provide the flood victims with temporary shelter.

Rizal said that some 15 rubber dinghies, 16 tons of rice, instant noodles, vegetables oil and salted fish had been sent in the first badge of relief aid.

"Our rice and medicine supplies, especially drugs for diarrhea, are sufficient to help the victims," he told the Post.

Rizal said that he had instructed the aid workers to prioritize people's health in a bid to prevent disease after the floods receded.

In Pemalang, Central Java, 212 families made up of 1,074 people from Cikadu village, Watukumpul district, Pemalang regency, were still in temporary shelters following an enormous landslide that hit the regency on Wednesday.

"They have to stay in the shelters because their villages are still prone to landslides. Besides, their houses have been demolished so it is impossible for them to return," Pemalang Regent Machrus said.

He added that his administration had provided food and clean water for the displaced villagers.

The head of the local social affairs office, Istianto, said that the regency administration would also resettle the people to other areas that were safe from floods and landslides.

"We are still looking for a suitable location for them. We need a minimum of three hectares of land on which to relocate them," he said.

At least 216 houses were destroyed while 70 others were damaged by the landslides. Istianto added that some 146 homes and four places of worship were also affected.