Flood victims need food

Flood victims need food

BANDA ACEH, Aceh: More than 5,600 victims of the recent floods in the Bendahara regency, East Aceh, have faced a food shortage for the past three days.

Razi, head of the Ministry of Social Services' local office, said he has distributed all of the available food supplies and that it was enough for only 2,640 people.

Antara reported that the floods have yet to show signs of receding in the areas, some 30 kilometer from the regency capital, Langsa. The regency's population is 502,657.

The water level reached an average of one meter. Thousands of hectares of paddy fields were destroyed in the floods.

"This is the worst natural disaster in the last five years," a resident said. A number of Pusong Kapal villagers were reportedly trapped by the floods and could only take refuge on their rooftops.

"They have been forced to eat unripe bananas and green leaves," Razi said. (swe)