The Jakarta Post 9 Jan 16;
PADANG: Floods and landslides have hit a number of areas in West Sumatra over the past few days, damaging houses and forcing affected people to flee.
Heavy rains on Thursday led to overflowing rivers in the province, while cliffs along roadsides experienced landslides. Among the worst-hit regions was Sawahlunto, where residents have been affected by the overflowing Batang Ombilin and Batang Maloputan rivers.
The West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency’s (BPBD) logistics and emergency division head, R. Pagar Negara, said landslides along riverbanks had damaged more than 20 houses as well as affecting roads in five locations.
The floods, meanwhile, have inundated 76 hectares of rice fields, claiming the lives of five cows and over 75 other livestock as well as damaging a bridge “Until Friday afternoon, affected people were still cleaning up their houses,” Pagar said on Friday.
In Sijunjung regency, flooding on Thursday inundated over 400 houses and destroyed 123 ha of rice fields, while landslides destroyed three houses.
