Locals return home as flood subsides

The Jakarta Post, Blitar/Pekanbaru/Medan

Thousands of Blitar residents began to return home on Tuesday as flooding subsided in the area on the same day.

However, after cleaning up their houses, some residents quickly returned to refugee camps on higher ground, fearing more flash floods in the regency.

"None of the Tambakrejo residents dare sleep at home. We are scared," said Sri Winarsih, a resident of Tambakrejo district, one of three districts in the regency hit by the fatal flash flood last Thursday.

The flash flood -- which hit Sutojayan, Kademangan and Tambakrejo districts -- resulted in the deaths of at least 14 people.

The residents were concerned that floods may reoccur, as it had rained in the area in the afternoon in the past few days, said Winarsih.

The residents were also concerned over the spread of various diseases in the district, due to the poor sanitation caused by the flood.

Some 350 residents visited community health centers in the Tambakrejo district on Tuesday suffered from respiratory diseases, skin ailments and injuries following the flood and landslide in the district.

It is feared more people will suffer from diarrhea in the coming days, as the district lacks clean water, said Darsono, a health worker.

Thousands of school children in the Tambakrejo, Kademangan and Sutojayan districts were still absent from school on Tuesday, as the school building was devastated by the flash flood.

Some classrooms were ruined, while many others cannot be used as they are covered in mud.

Students chose to stay at home or to go to school to help clean the school building.

Meanwhile local governments began to count the total losses resulting from the flash flood. Suwito, the spokesman of Sutojayan district, said that the flooding had brought total losses to local residents of some Rp 28 billion (US$3.1 million).

The losses were calculated from the damage to hundreds of houses and infrastructure such as bridges and, the death of thousands of chickens and livestock.

Separately, similar flooding in Rokan Hilir regency, Riau province, also subsided on Tuesday, with total losses reaching some Rp 40 billion. The flooding in the past two weeks in the area has inundated thousands of hectares of paddy fields and plantations and damaged thousands of houses and roads.

In North Tapanuli regency, North Sumatra, heavy rain in the area led to a fatal landslide on Sunday, which killed one resident, while another resident was still missing as of Tuesday.

The landslide happened in Sipahutar district in the regency, said Deputy First Insp. A. Nainggolan from Sipahutar Police station. Riana Simangunsong was found dead in her home, while Abner Simangunsong has been missing since the landslide.