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| December 29, 2006 |
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| Indonesia Faces Flood Disaster |
WASHINGTON - December 29, 2006. Thousands of villagers forced from their homes by floods on Indonesia's
Sumatra island returned on Friday to begin cleaning up as neighboring
Malaysia braced for another deluge.
In Indonesia's Aceh and North Sumatra provinces, where floods and
landslides killed as many as 141, the number of displaced fell from
400,000 to nearer 200,000 as people returned from shelters on high ground
and temporary government camps. Aid was getting through to many of those
in need of food and other basics, but rain was still heavy enough in some
isolated areas to block relief shipments, officials said. "There are stillfive villages and two districts that we cannot reach because of the rain," health ministry crisis chief Rustam Pakaya told Reuters. Pakaya said medicines, biscuits and water purifiers would be distributed and scores of clinics were being opened in affected areas to treat and prevent medical problems. [Reuters/Factiva]
Tons of food, water, tents and medical supplies have been trucked and
flown into the main cities and towns in areas hit by the flash floods
triggered by torrential rains. But slow distribution of food sparked anger
in Aceh Tamiang Thursday as around 100 flood victims, most of them mothers
carrying their children, looted an aid distribution post in Payabedi. …
The US said Friday it would provide $100,000 in emergency assistance
through the Red Cross to supply hygiene kits, plastic sheets, sleeping
mats and other items for flood victims. … A local legislator said more
volunteers and heavy equipment were needed to help. [Agence France
Presse/Factiva]
The Aceh disaster relief task force said that more than 13,000 homes
across six districts are severely damaged or washed away, more than 1,700
of them in the Aceh Tamiang district, where waters were several meters
(yards) deep in some areas. Several thousand refugees have taken shelter
in nearby hills, said district spokesman Nasir Musa, adding that water was subsiding in some areas, making it possible for people to return to villages to clear away mud and debris. [The Associated Press/Factiva]
Source: The World Bank |
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