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Flood submerges thousands of houses in Medan, one dead
Amid drought in most parts of Indonesia, flooding hit Medan, North Sumatra, on Sunday, inundating thousands of houses and leaving at least one person dead
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mid drought in most parts of Indonesia, flooding hit Medan, North Sumatra, on Sunday, inundating thousands of houses and leaving at least one person dead.
The flood also displaced hundreds of families in many affected areas across the city. They took shelter at mosques and their family members's houses.
The flooding followed more than five hours of heavy rains until Saturday night, causing three rivers to burst their banks.
Floodwaters were between 50 centimeters and three meters high.
A motorcyclist was drowned in the overflowed river, villagers said Sunday.
A search and rescue team was looking for the victim's body.
The inundated areas included areas on Jl. Stasiun Kereta Api near the Merdeka Ground, Jl. Williem Iskandar, Jl. Rakyat, Jl. Nibung, Jl. Sunggal, Jl. Kaswari, Jl. Sisingamangaraja, Jl. Letda Sudjono, Jl. Mandala By Pass, Jl. Aksara, Jl. Arif Rahman Hakim, and Jl. Denai. Umumnya, where floodwaters were 50 meters high on average.
Residents living at riverbanks along the Deli, Babura and Batang Hari rivers were hardest hit by the disaster, where floodwaters reached up to three meters high.
They had to flee their submerged homes for safety at shelters.
Dita, a refugee from the Deli riverbank, said floodwaters had swept away all her belongings.
She said she could not save her household's contents as the floodwaters swiftly entered her home from around 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Dita admitted that her neighborhood was regularly flooded every time the Deli river overflowed.
"We are accustomed to flooding. If floodwaters come, we just take refuge," she told The Jakarta Post.
The Medan Meteorology and Geophisics Agency (BMG) warned residents at eastern and western coastal areas of North Sumatra to be on alert for flooding and landslides in the next several days.
The agency predicted that heavy rainfalls will be at most parts of the province.
BMG head of data and information at the Polonia airport Firman said downpours will particularly hit western coastal areas of North Sumatra, including the regencies of Mandailing Natal, Tapanuli Selatan, Tapanuli Tengah and Sibolga.
Firman also warned of strong winds and lightening amid heavy rains.
"Strong wind should be watched out because it could be dangerous to people, especially motorists. It is feared that falling trees along the streets could hit them."
