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our days'€™ incessant rain has triggered floods and landslides in a number of regencies in Aceh, displacing thousands of residents, ruining rice crops and disconnecting roads.

'€œThe floods have ruined our crops, so many farmers have suffered financially. Moreover, some of the routes to the provincial capital have been affected by landslides,'€ Mahyidin, a resident of Lhoong district in Aceh Besar regency, said on Tuesday.

Spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a statement that besides Aceh Besar, the heavy rainstorms that have afflicted the province had also caused floods and landslides in other regencies, including West Aceh, South Aceh, Southwest Aceh and Aceh Jaya.

He explained that so far around 2.5 meters of floodwater had inundated 8,000 houses in Southwest Aceh, 10,000 houses in Aceh Besar and 3,697 houses in South Aceh. The BNPB also recorded nine landslides in Sampoiniet district, Jaya district and Indra Jaya district in Aceh Jaya, hampering road access to Banda Aceh.

'€œCurrently, a joint team consisting of the BPBD [Aceh Disaster Mitigation Agency], the TNI [the Indonesian Military], the police, the search and rescue team and Muspika [district leadership assembly] are evacuating residents stuck by the floods and landslides,'€ Sutopa said, adding that the agency had also set up tents and emergency kitchens for evacuees.

Lhoong district head Azhar said evacuees in his district had been able to use certain public facilities in Lamsujen village.

'€œThe situation is improving because the western road connecting Meulaboh and Banda Aceh can be used, albeit on a temporary and emergency basis,'€ he said.

Prices of staple food have soared, with distribution to affected areas difficult.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) predicted that Aceh, home to five million people, would continue to see heavy rain over the coming days. The agency has alerted local fishermen of the possibility of waves as high as 5 meters.

'€œBad weather and rain will continue for the next few days,'€ Zakaria, the data and information section head of the BMKG office at Blang Bintang station, said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, head of Medan BMKG Hendra Suwarta said both Aceh and North Sumatra provinces had seen high rainfall exceeding average precipitation.

'€œOn average, the rainfall on the western coast of Aceh and North Sumatra is currently between 300 millimeter [mm] and 500 mm a month, while the normal level is from 200 mm to 300 mm,'€ he told The Jakarta Post in Medan.

Hendra added that rainfall would lessen in the next couple of months. However, he warned residents that landslides could still occur, as the land humidity level would remain high.