World · East Asia & Pacific · 7 hrs ago
Flooding hits 21 villages in Indonesia’s Pidie Jaya district
Flooding struck 21 villages in Pidie Jaya district in Aceh, Indonesia, on Monday night.
Heavy rain since the afternoon raised river levels and caused an embankment to break, allowing water into homes.
Water in residential areas ranged from 50 centimetres to 1.5 metres deep.
Some residents were trapped in their homes, and rescue teams are evacuating people by boat, prioritising vulnerable residents and areas with the deepest water.
The district has declared a 14-day disaster emergency, while officials are still counting how many people have been displaced.
Authorities have urged people living along the Krueng Meureudu River to stay alert as evacuations continue.
Flooding affected 21 villages in four subdistricts of Pidie Jaya district in Indonesia’s Aceh province on Monday night, November 9.
Heavy rain since the afternoon caused a river to overflow and an embankment to collapse, sending water into residential areas.
Reported water levels ranged from 50 centimetres to 1.5 metres.
Rescue teams used rubber boats to evacuate residents, including vulnerable people and those in the deepest floodwaters.
Authorities were still counting the number of people displaced.
- Who
- Residents of 21 villages in Pidie Jaya district were affected.
- What
- Flooding inundated homes after an embankment collapsed and a river overflowed.
- When
- Monday night, November 9, after heavy rain from the afternoon.
- Where
- Pidie Jaya district, Aceh province, Indonesia, across four subdistricts.
- Why
- Heavy rain caused the river’s water level to rise and an embankment to collapse.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Heavy rain began in the area.
Flooding affected 21 villages after an embankment collapsed and river water overflowed.
The Pidie Jaya disaster agency recorded the villages affected in four subdistricts.
Rescue teams continued evacuating residents by rubber boat.
- Villages affected
- 21
- Subdistricts affected
- 4
- Water levels
- 50 centimetres to 1.5 metres
- Meureudu villages
- 5
- Meurah Dua villages
- 8
- Bandar Dua villages
- 7
What people are saying
Compared with the previous flooding, this seems more severe because it was caused by increased river water discharge.
I also went to Pidie Jaya a few days ago to help people affected by the subsequent flooding there, while also conveying progress as head of the task force for accelerating disaster rehabilitation and reconciliation in Sumatra. I will report what progress has been made over this one year.