Medan airport reopens but flooding worsens elsewhere

Medan airport reopens but flooding worsens elsewhere

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

The Polonia Airport in the North Sumatra capital of Medan
reopened on Sunday after torrential rains deluged the province
Saturday, affecting thousands of homes.

The rains reportedly killed at least one person in Langkat
regency.

Airport manager Risman Nuryadin told The Jakarta Post that the
airport reopened at 6 a.m. on Monday after the water was cleared
from the submerged runway.

"We suffered a loss of Rp 100 million in flight services due
to the closure," Risman said.

As flooding subsided in Medan, it worsened in other regencies
throughout the province on Sunday.

In Langkat, the flooding affected the town of Stabat, where
flood control measures burst. A resident identified as Edi, 17,
died when his canoe overturned as he attempted to rescue his
belongings.

The worst-hit was probably Lubuk Pakam, Deli Serdang. Hundreds
of houses and a vast farming area were submerged. Five bridges
had collapsed in the regency, local officials said.

Tebingtinggi regency remained flooded. Nineteen villages were
affected. In the worst-hit areas, water levels were as high as 50
centimeters but no fatalities were reported.

The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency predicted that the heavy
rainfall would continue in the province in the coming few days.

The agency's spokesman in the province, Firman, said that the
rainfall would be especially high throughout January in eastern
coastal areas, such as Langkat and Asahan regencies, and on the
western coasts, including Aceh.