10 villages isolated after landslides in South Nias

Four days after being hit by landslides, 10 villages in Maze district, South Nias regency, North Sumatra, are still isolated as the only bridge linking to the disaster sites has been damaged by heavy flooding.

Nearly 8,000 residents of the 10 villages are short of food supplies as humanitarian assistance cannot be easily distributed there.

South Nias Regent Idealisman Dachi said that team members deployed by his administration had tried to reach the disaster areas manually, including on foot, but the quantity of assistance brought by the officers was still very limited.

“The location of the disaster area is not easily accessible as they are located in hilly areas,” Idealisman told The Jakarta Post Saturday afternoon.

Nias Search and Rescue coordinator Benteng Telembanua shared Idealisman’s remarks, saying that the assistance distributed to disaster victims was far from enough.

“There is only one rubber dinghy used to transport the logistic assistance to isolated regions. After assistance they have to be transported manually for 7 kilometers to the disaster areas,” said Benteng, describing
how difficult it was to hand over the assistance.

Others further said that repair of the damaged bridge would start on Sunday and it would take several days before it could be utilized.

“We strive to finish the repair work as soon as possible as the bridge is very vital to open access to the isolated villages,” he said.

Maze district used to be part of Gomo district, which is located 50 kilometers from Teluk Dalam, the capital of South Nias regency. Residents of the district rely on the local livelihood of farming.

Idealisman further said that Maze was included in one of the regions in South Nias that were prone to natural disaster. He urged local residents to improve alertness against any possible new disasters due to the bad weather there.

“As South Nias is prone to any new landslides during the bad weather, we declare an emergency status for the next 14 days,” he said.

The landslides were sparked by major flooding hitting Maze district on Wednesday, killing five, including four students and severely injuring three others.

Two of the three injured victims had been rushed to a hospital in Medan on Saturday, the regent said. They are children aged three and nine.

South Nias Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Erick Bhismo said that the evacuation process for the victims had been halted because there were no other victims any more. According to Erick, information which said there were 30 villagers buried during the landslides was baseless.