West Aceh Flood Forces 1,000 to Evacuate

Banda Aceh, Aceh - A flood hit six sub-districts in Aceh province on Monday, forcing more than 1,000 people to evacuate to higher ground, a spokesman said. The flood triggered by the overflowing of a river inundated hundreds of houses in the sub-districts of Kawai XVI, Meureubo, Arongan Lambalek, Pante Ceureumeu, Panton Reu and Johan Pahlawan, spokesman of the West Aceh district natural disaster mitigation board (BPBD) Dedek Risman said on Monday. The flood began to hit the sub-districts early Monday. Most of the houses were submerged by 1 to 1.5 meter-deep flood waters. "So far, 240 families or 1,014 people of Pasie Mesjid, Johan Pahlawan, have been evacuated," he said. A team of rescue workers including those from the BPBD, the National SAR Board and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) continued to evacuate residents to safer areas, he said. "If rains fall tonight all residents living in flood-prone areas must be evacuated to safer areas," he said. The flood also paralyzed land transportation between Meulaboh in West Aceh and Geumpang in Pidie, with flood waters reaching 1 meter deep in several sections of the road. "We call on the residents of West Aceh to remain vigilant due to high rainfalls," he said.(*)