Floods Gradually Recede, BPBD Records 8,853 Residents Of Aceh Tamiang Still Evacuating To A Number Of Points

Children playing in a boat in a flooded area in Aceh Tamiang Regency (ANTARA/HO)

ACEH - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Aceh Tamiang Regency reported that 8,853 residents in the district were still living in refugee camps because they were affected by the flood disaster.

Head of the Emergency and Logistics Division of the Aceh Tamiang BPBD Diwan Syahputra said that the flooding that submerged almost the entire Aceh Tamiang Regency area was reported to be gradually receding.

"In the interim reports, the flood has begun to recede. However, there are 8,853 residents who are still displaced in five sub-districts in Aceh Tamiang Regency," said Diwan Syahputra in Aceh Tamiang, Antara, Friday, January 7.

Diwan Syahputra said that most of the refugees were in Kota Kuala Simpang District, reaching 3,716 people spread over 17 refugee locations.

Then, Karang Baru Subdistrict with refugees reached 1,109 people, Manyak Payed Subdistrict as many as 2,153 people, Bendahara District reached 1,850 people, and Banda Mulia District as many as 25 people.

Meanwhile, seven other sub-districts in the upstream area of Aceh Tamiang Regency, which were previously hit by severe flooding, namely, Tamiang Hulu Sub-district, Bandar Pusaka Sub-district, and Sekerak Sub-district no longer have refugees, said Diwan Syahputra.

“Most likely today the number of refugees will continue to decrease because the flood has receded. Except in the District Treasurer, because there was a broken river embankment which caused the water to overflow," said Diwan Syahputra.

Meanwhile, Sub-district Treasurer Fakhrurrazi Syamsuyar said that the flood had receded in the area of the broken embankment. However, he reminded the public to remain vigilant about the possibility of further flooding.

"From our observation, the flood has receded compared to the first day when the embankment broke. Meanwhile, the number of public kitchens is still at 35 points spread across 30 flood-affected villages," said Fakhrurrazi.

Fakhrurrazi Syamsuyar said flood victims in the sub-district fled to relatives' homes, prayer rooms and mosques as well as public facilities provided by the district government.

"We have also distributed social assistance to 30 villages whose residents have fled. We also remind residents to remain vigilant because the broken embankment cannot be repaired. It could be that the flood of shipments from upstream came suddenly," said Fakhrurrazi Syamsuyar.