Four dead, 10 missing after floods in Medan

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

A delegation of three ministers on Tuesday visited areas that were hit by severe flooding during the past week in Medan, North Sumatra, where four residents were killed and 10 others were still missing.

The delegation, consisting of Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla, Minister for Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah, and Minister for Resettlement and Regional Infrastructure Soenarno, handed over humanitarian aid to help relieve the hardship of local residents.

The delegation was welcomed to Medan's Polonia Airport, which was reopened on Sunday after being closed due to the flooding.

North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal Nurdin, on behalf of the residents, received cash and in-kind aid which included Rp 1.5 billion in cash, 100 tons of rice and 1,000 packs of noodles.

Jusuf Kalla expressed deep concern over the disaster, hoping that the local administration could, in the future, manage the surrounding environment.

"If the environment is not properly managed, it will bring further disasters," Kalla said.

Also present at the handover ceremony were Langkat Regent Syamsul Arifin, Deli Serdang Regent Abdul Hafidz, deputy speaker of the provincial legislative council Hasrul Azwar and members of the local administration.

Speaking to The Jakarta Post after the ceremony, Governor Rizal Nurdin promised to fairly distribute the assistance to the people hit by the flooding,

"We will convey this assistance to the victims of the flooding fairly," he claimed.

Rizal confirmed that the flooding had affected nine regencies, including Medan Labuhan, Deli Serdang, and Tebingtinggi in North Sumatra.

The four casualties were Meiji Pranata, 21, a resident of Tanjung Mulia Medan Labuhan; Febri Hababil, an 11-month-old baby of Sambirejo Percut Seituan, Deli Serdang; Edi, 17, of Pantaigemi, Langkat; and Bongit Siahaan, 67, of Siburoan in Balige, Toba Samosir district.

All the missing people were residents in districts of Medan and Asahan.

"The death toll may possibly rise because we have not received reports from other locations," Rizal said.

He added that the provincial administration had not been able to estimate the material losses in the flooding.

In the meantime, chief of the rescue team in Langkat district Masri Zein revealed that the flooding in the district had destroyed nearly 2,200 hectares of rice fields, five dams and about 54 kilometers of road. It was estimated that the material loss would reach at least Rp 12 billion.

Land transportation in some cities, paralyzed during the flooding, has not resumed mainly because of the impact of the landslides and collapsed bridges.

There was no information on when the railway company would resume operation, after halting services on Sunday due to the flooding. Railway assets that were submerged, included the stations of Lubuk Pakam and Simalungun.