Jakarta. Severe floods have struck Aceh, forcing hundreds of residents to flee as their houses have become completely submerged underwater, and in some cases, even being carried away by the current.
High-intensity rains have poured down on the districts of Southeast Aceh, South Aceh and West Aceh from Sunday afternoon through to Monday morning, causing the local Gelombang River to overflow and flood residential areas, roads, irrigation channels, rice fields and mosques.
Residents are afraid that the floods will not subside any time soon as the areas are reportedly still cloudy, indicating that there are more rains to come.
“The floods in Southeast Aceh have swept away five houses while 10 others are severely damaged and 102 are buried in mud. The flooding across the main highway stretches as long as 100 meters,” Ali Basrah Pasaribu, the Southeast Aceh deputy district head, said on Monday.
The Aceh Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) is still evacuating victims, leading them to higher ground in order to avoid the floods.
This was the case in South Aceh,, where hundreds of families have been forced to abandon their homes.
In West Aceh, it was reported that three houses had been washed away by the floods while others were submerged underwater due to rising water levels.