Indonesia: Floods affect 24,321 people in Aceh Singkil District

Antara 15 Oct 18;

Illustration. Farmers are drying the rice which is submerged by floods in the rice field area of Blang Leuah Village, Samatiga District, West Aceh, Aceh, Saturday (10/13/2018). (ANTARA PHOTO/Syifa Yulinnas/aww.)

Banda Aceh, Aceh (ANTARA News) - The Aceh Singkil Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) reported that the floods that inundated 24 villages in the eight sub-districts of Aceh Singkil Districts, Aceh Province, affected 24,321 people.


"As of Monday, there were 5,242 families or around 24,321 people, who were affected by the severe flooding," said Rosiana Kusuma Wardani, head of the agency`s emergency operation center, here on Monday.

The sub-districts of Singkil, Simpang Kanan, and Gunung Meriah, were noted as the hardest hit areas. In Singkil sub-district alone, a total of 21,081 people from 16 villages suffered the impact of the floods, she said.

Then, 3,199 others reside in the six villages of Simpang Kanan sub-district and in the five villages of Gunung Meriah sub-district, she said, adding that most of the disaster zones are located near the Mount Leuser National Park areas.

The flooding also inundated several other sub-districts, including Singkil Utara, Danau Paris, Suro, Singkohor, and Kota Baharu, but the number of those affected was relatively small, she said.

However, heavy rainfall affecting different parts of Aceh Singkil district over the past two days did not only result in flooding but it also triggered a landslide in Situbuh-Tubuh village, Danau Paris sub-district.

The landslide buried the house of a family with eight members, and also cut off road access connecting the villages in Aceh Singkil district to the areas of Central Tapanuli district, North Sumatra Province, Wardani said.

As of Monday afternoon, vehicles could not use the disrupted road. The floods had submerged two villages in Singkil Utara and Singkil sub-districts, while the floods in five other sub-districts had receded, she said.

The Aceh Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) had warned last week that bad weather would hit several parts of Aceh Province over these past few days as a result of the tropical cyclone in the Bay of Bengal.

The areas that might severely suffer from the impact of this tropical cyclone were the districts of Aceh Singkil, South Aceh, Aceh Jaya, and Nagan Raya, as well as North Aceh, East Aceh, and Aceh Tamiang, the agency`s spokesman, Zakaria Ahmad, said.

The flooding and landslide did not only hit Aceh Province but also Mandailing Natal District in North Sumatra Province.

The death toll from the floods and landslides that hit Mandailing Natal (Madina) District had risen to 17 on Sunday.

A joint search and rescue (SAR) team comprising military, police personnel and volunteers evacuated 17 bodies, Muhammad Yasir, head of the Madina disaster mitigation office, said.

Of the 17 casualties, 12 were elementary school students in Ulu Pungkut sub-district, three were workers repairing a road culvert in Mura Batang Gadis district, and two were people whose car plunged into the Aek Batang Gadis river during flooding.

Reporting by Muhammad Said
Editing by Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Heru Purwanto


1,430 families in west sumatra remain isolated due to floods
Antara 16 Oct 18;

A number of residents saw the condition of houses damaged by flash floods in Tanjung Bonai Nagari, Lintau Buo, Tanah Datar, West Sumatra, Friday (12/10/2018). (ANTARA PHOTO/McAeil/pras.)

Simpang Empat, W Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Around 1,430 families living in the flood-hit areas of Pasaman Barat District, West Sumatra Province, remain unable to get relief aids because road access to the disaster zones were still cut off on Monday.

According to the secretary of the West Pasaman district government, Tri Wahluyo, here on Monday, the floods still inundated four areas and a bridge got destroyed, causing a road access to get disrupted.

The four areas are Jorong Maligi in Sasak Ranah Pasisia Subdistrict, Jorong Sikilang in Sungai Aur Subdistrict, Jorong Sikabau in Parit Koto Balingka Subdistrict, and Jorong Lubuk Gobing in Ranah Batahan Subdistrict, he said.

"The latest information that I receive confirm that the four areas remain inundated by the floods. The local people do need relief aids and evacuation," he said.

Three of the four flood-hit areas could not be reached by land but by sea while Lubuk Gobing was isolated due to the damaged bridge, he said, adding that a joint-relief team has planned to deliver the aid packages to those affected there on Tuesday.

"We are coordinating with the related authorities to find possible ways to reach the four isolated areas," he said.

As of Monday evening, the floods have inundated 3,162 houses, which accommodate 14,348 people. "We have been calculating the number of houses categorized as `severely damaged, moderately damaged, and slightly damaged`," he said.

Flooding has not only inundated several areas of Pasaman Barat District, West Sumatra Province, but it has also affected other parts of Sumatra Island.

In Aceh Province, the Aceh Singkil Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) reported that the floods that inundated 24 villages in the eight sub-districts of Aceh Singkil Districts affected 24,321 people.

"As of Monday, there were 5,242 families or around 24,321 people, who were affected by the severe flooding," said Rosiana Kusuma Wardani, head of the agency`s emergency operation center.

The sub-districts of Singkil, Simpang Kanan, and Gunung Meriah, were noted as the hardest hit areas. In Singkil sub-district alone, a total of 21,081 people from 16 villages suffered the impact of the floods, she said.

Then, 3,199 others reside in the six villages of Simpang Kanan sub-district and in the five villages of Gunung Meriah sub-district, she said, adding that most of the disaster zones are located near the Mount Leuser National Park areas.

The flooding also inundated several other sub-districts, including Singkil Utara, Danau Paris, Suro, Singkohor, and Kota Baharu, but the number of those affected was relatively small, she said.

Meanwhile, from Mandailing Natal District in North Sumatra Province, it was reported that the death toll from the floods and landslides that hit Mandailing Natal (Madina) District had risen to 17 on Sunday.

A joint search and rescue (SAR) team comprising military, police personnel and volunteers evacuated 17 bodies, Muhammad Yasir, head of the Madina disaster mitigation office, said.

Of the 17 casualties, 12 were elementary school students in Ulu Pungkut sub-district, three were workers repairing a road culvert in Mura Batang Gadis district, and two were people whose car plunged into the Aek Batang Gadis river during flooding.

Reporting by Altas Maulana
Editing by Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Heru Purwanto