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)