Thousands evacuated in Aceh flood disaster

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Meulaboh

About 16,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and tens of thousands of people from three regencies in Aceh have been isolated by floods which have claimed at least five lives.

The deputy chief of the local social affairs office, Sulaiman Daudi, said here over the weekend that transportation systems connecting the regencies of Southeast Aceh, South Aceh and Aceh Singkil had been paralyzed by the week of incessant rain.

At least five people were killed when their homes were washed away by floodwaters that hit Babat Rot in Aceh Besar on Friday.

Road users reported that several sections of the highway connecting the provincial capital of Banda Aceh with the three regencies were covered by water almost two-meters deep, while several other sections were covered by landslides.

Sulaiman said traffic had been paralyzed.

Several bus companies had halted ticket sales after canceling services to the province's western coast.

In Banda Aceh, hundreds of passengers who had hoped to return to their hometowns in Aceh Singkil and Southeast Aceh, were left stranded at bus terminals.

"We have been here since Nov. 22 but so far there is no certainty when we can get to Tapaktuan because of the flooding," said Mustafa, who, along with his wife and five children, have spent two nights in the Geunta Plaza bus terminal.

Fellow would-be-traveler Herman said he feared he would not make it home in time to celebrate Idul Fitri with his parents in his home village.

He said he would go to Sibolga in South Tapanuli, North Sumatra, to take a boat to Aceh Singkil if the roads were not cleared by Tuesday.

The chief of the local social affairs office, Zulkarnain, said more than 16,000 people in the three provinces had been evacuated to safety.

"We will immediately send rubber boats to anticipate deteriorating conditions and have dispatched food and medical aid for the evacuees.

"The local administrations in the three regencies have accommodated all the refugees in public buildings such as mosques and schools and temporary shelters," he said.

The telecommunications network, downed by the floods, was operating Sunday after the local branch of PT Telkom deployed hundreds of its workers to repair the network damaged by the flood.