Hundreds of houses in Indonesia flooded

JAKARTA - Some areas in Aceh and North Sumatera were flooded after heavy rain for several days since last week. Hundreds of people forced to seek temporary shelter, media quoting official reported Wednesday.

Aceh province's Aceh Singkil deputy district head Dulmusrid said as quoted by the Jakarta Globe, the water in some areas is still high, up to two meters deep with the worst-affected areas in the district were Singkil town and the subdistricts of Simpang Kanan and Gunung Meriah. Several bridges have been swept away by rain-swollen rivers in some areas of Aceh.

Floods have also hit Subussalam town in neighboring South Aceh district, with the water also reaching up to two meter deeps. The worst-hit area is Runding subdistrict, where hundreds of homes have been submerged by flood.

According official data from Subussalam, 23 villages in three subdistricts are severely flooded, with thousands of people forced to seek temporary shelter.

Trumon subdistrict in South Aceh is also suffering from the floods, with hundreds of people isolated by the floodwaters that have cut off most land routes.

Meanwhile district authorities had not set up any temporary shelters for those residents. But head of the municipal social welfare agency, Asmia, said the authorities intents to provide shelter in dry locations on higher ground.

The Aceh Social Welfare Office sent relief supplies on Monday, including instant noodles, canned fish, sugar, rice, cooking oil and other ready to consume food products to the flood-hit areas.

The floods also hit North Sumatera due to heavy rain for several days, with 65 centimeters of water on Monday and the water begun receding on Tuesday.