Aceh flood claims five, displaces thousands

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.