Flood hits North Sumatra, thousands evacuated

Flood hits North Sumatra, thousands evacuated

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

A major flood hit Nias Island and Central Tapanuli, North
Sumatra, on Wednesday night following incessant rain over the
last three days, forcing thousands of people to flee to safety.

Human casualties were reported and, as of Thursday, dozens of
people were rushed to hospital with serious injuries.

The disaster control coordinating unit (Satkorlak) announced
in Medan on Thursday that the disaster in Nias had affected 216
families, with five villagers hospitalized, while some 2,500
people in Central Tapanuli were evacuated after their houses were
inundated. Many people, wounded when trying to save their
belongings, were still undergoing medical treatment in hospitals
in Sorkam and Barus districts.

Nias deputy regent Agus Mendrofa said the deluge, which also
swept away five semipermanent houses, was caused by the River
Nou, which burst its banks and flowed through Gunungsitoli city
since Tuesday.

Head of the local social affairs office in Gunung Sitoli Yanus
Laross told The Jakarta Post that the river water inundating the
town had arrived after three days of heavy rain.

"About 215 houses were submerged as the floods reached a depth
of five meters," said Yanus.

A flash flood hit Nias in August and September 2001, killing
more than 105 people and destroying hundreds of houses and other
buildings. Also, 85 others went missing in the disaster.

The rains drenching the west coast of Sumatra in the past few
days also flooded Central Tapanuli, where at least four districts
-- Kolang, Barus, Sorkam and Andam Dewi -- were affected.

Of the flood-stricken areas, Kolang district was hardest hit,
with its four villages, Hutatunggal, Lobu Harambir, Siduarupa and
Kampung Lama, three meters to four meters under water.

Apart from the 2,500 people already evacuated in Central
Tapanuli, Kolang district head Ikhmal Batubara said that, as of
Wednesday night, more victims were rescued in rubber dinghies by
local people and marines from the naval base in Sibolga.

The floodwater also disrupted the route between Sibolga and
Barus due to road inundation around Kolang. It subsided on
Thursday with the traffic beginning to flow normally around town.

Eddy Kelana, head of the provincial meteorology and geophysics
agency in Medan, said rainfall in both regencies was high on Nov.
20.

He foresaw that more heavy rains were likely to occur in
various regencies and cities in the near future, including
Langkat, Binjai, Deli Serdang, Tebing Tinggi, Medan, Simalungun,
Pematang Siantar, Toba Samosir, Dairi and Karo.

In anticipation of big floods in the province, Governor T.
Rizal Nurdin held a coordination meeting with relevant
authorities on Thursday to make plans for the rainy season.