BPBD Reveals 10,715 Houses In East Aceh Damaged Due To Floods

The big tree trunk that was carried away by the flood currents in Aceh/ Photo: ANTARA

The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of East Aceh Regency noted that 10,715 houses and public facilities were damaged by the floods that hit the district.

Head of BPBD East Aceh Regency Afifullah in East Aceh, Sunday, said the disaster also caused as many as 1,200 residents to suffer minor and serious injuries.

"Based on the latest information on the flood disaster in East Aceh, 10,715 houses and public facilities were damaged and 1,200 residents were injured," Afifullah said, ANTARA, Sunday, December 7.

Afifullah said the data collection process in the field is still ongoing today and this figure is temporary and can change according to the latest developments.

"In the latest data, 47 people died as a result of the flood. Meanwhile, the number of lightly injured victims was 894 people and serious injuries reached 306 people," said Afifullah.

The injured victims received treatment at health facilities that were still functioning and emergency medical posts established at a number of evacuation points.

Afifullah said as many as 10,715 houses and public facilities were damaged, with details of 3,823 units being heavily damaged, moderately damaged reaching 3,316 units, and 3,576 units being lightly damaged.

The damage includes residents' houses, broken bridges, landslides, houses of worship, schools, meunasah, piers, and other public service facilities.

"Infrastructure damage also causes the paralysis of economic activity, education, and community services in a number of areas affected by the disaster," said Afifullah.

Meanwhile, 235,127 people were affected by the flood from 55,483 families. Of these, 204,867 people from 47,094 families were displaced, and 33,752 people from 8,543 families did not evacuate.

Currently, there are 820 refugee locations spread across various sub-districts, including meunasah, schools, public buildings, and residents' houses that are still possible to be used as temporary shelters.

Afifullah said the flood disaster area occurred on Wednesday, December 26 covering 413 gampongs or villages spread across 24 sub-districts in East Aceh Regency.

The water level ranges from 10 centimeters to three meters. Many areas are still isolated, due to damaged bridges, landslides, and broken roads which are not yet fully accessible.

Obstacles in the field, he said, emergency handling processes include power outages in many areas, hampered transportation operations due to limited fuel supply, and broken communication networks.

Then the shortage of rubber boats for evacuation, several routes to the disaster site are still completely cut off, thus slowing down the process of distributing aid logistics and services for flood victims in isolated areas.

"All elements of disaster management continue to work optimally in the field. The main priority is the safety of residents, evacuation of victims, and meeting the basic needs of the refugees," said Afifullah.