A number of regencies and cities in North Sumatra were hit by floods and landslides on Thursday due to heavy rains over the past several days.

No casualties have been reported, but thousands of residents have evacuated and a number of villages have been cut-off as the landslides destroyed major transportation routes.

In Langkat regency, the floods swamped 10,000 homes. In Tanjung Pura district, 6,150 homes were affected; in Hinai district 684, in Batang Serangan 425, in Wampu 606 and in Sawit Seberang 300.

As many as 21 elementary schools in a number of districts were also engulfed by the floods, forcing authorities to suspend school.

Langkat Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) acting head Iwan Syahri said the floods in Langkat had expanded. As of Thursday afternoon the floods had swamped five districts with up to a meter of water, he said.

'€œThe worst hit was Tanjungpura, where the water level reached a meter inside residents'€™ homes,'€ Iwan told The Jakarta Post.

Tanjungpura district chief Surianto said the floods in the district were triggered by heavy downpours that started on Jan. 14. As of Thursday at noon, he said, the floods had expanded to a number of villages, such as Pematang Cengal Barat, Pekubuan, Lalang, Baja Kuning and Teluk Bakung. He added that all of the affected residents had taken shelter in tents erected by the government.

Langkat Regent Ngogesa Sitepu said the local BPBD, local police, Indonesian Military, Indonesian Red Cross and volunteers had arrived in the flooded areas to provide help to residents whose homes were engulfed.

'€œThe teams have been deployed. They have distributed aid to shelters, located in six locations,'€ Ngogesa said at a flooded location in Tanjungpura.

In Simalungun regency, pouring rain over the past several days triggered a landslide in a hilly area in Pamatang Raya district, cutting access connecting three villages in the agricultural region. As of Thursday, the three isolated villages remained cut-off.

The Simalungun regency administration held a coordinated meeting with regional working units on Thursday in Pamatang Raya to deal with natural disasters in the region.

Simalungun Regent Jopinus Ramli Saragih has deployed heavy machinery to clean debris covering the road in Lokung, Raya Bayu and Dalig Raya villages.

'€œWe are making efforts to reopen the roads and then take necessary measures to deal with residents affected by the landslide,'€ said Jopinus.

Earlier this year, three areas in Simalungun were detected as prone to floods and landslides triggered by the heavy rainfall since December 2014.

In Central Tapanuli regency, heavy downpours from Tuesday until Wednesday also triggered a landslide in Silantom village, Pa-ngaribuan district. The landslide has disrupted traffic on the Trans-Sumatra highway connecting Pangaribuan village and Sipirok.

North Sumatra Police chief spokesman Sr. Comr. Helfi Assegaf said no casualties were reported in the landslide. He added that local police were currently working together with the local public works office and Bina Marga Directorate General to bring in heavy machinery to clear landslide debris.

• Floods inundate thousands of homes in Langkat regency, forcing residents to evacuate
• Landslides block access roads in Simalungun and Central Tapanuli

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