Indonesia: 7,000 Residents of West Aceh District Evacuated After Flood

Heavy rains struck most of northern Sumatra on Tuesday, leading to flooding in West Aceh district. (Antara Photo/Irsan Mulyadi)
Jakarta Globe 25 Nov 15;

Jakarta. Thousands of people in Aceh have been left homeless after torrential rain inundated the northern Sumatran province on Tuesday, an emergency official said.

Joni Nuriyanto, chief of the West Aceh District Disaster Mitigation Agency, or BPBD, said on Wednesday that his office had deployed teams to help distribute aid to more 7,000 residents of 12 subdistricts in the area. Some homes are submerged in up to a meter of water.

"All teams are also monitoring areas that may be trapped in water," Joni said as quoted by Kompas.

The agency also called on all residents of West Aceh district to remain vigilant, with the weather agency predicting more heavy rain throughout the week.