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.