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Jakarta. Indonesia is facing Asia’s worst natural disaster these days. Tropical Cyclone ‘Sinyar’, which arrived about a week ago, engulfed Sumatra in torrential rains, devastating floods and catastrophic landslides. Thousands of houses were washed away, hundreds of villages were destroyed and entire areas were buried under mud. According to official figures, more than 440 people have been killed so far, while at least 400 people are still missing, many of whom are feared buried under the soil.
Most devastation – in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra.
According to the National Disaster Management Agency, Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra are the most seriously affected areas. Agency chief Suharyanto warned that central Tapanuli and Sibolga were completely isolated. Neither roads, nor communication, nor relief is reaching these areas. Supplies are being sent by sea and air, but no aid has yet reached many villages. Thousands of people have been stranded for days waiting for food and water.
Hunger breaks patience – shops looted in Sumatra
The terrible situation amid the inhospitable conditions is that in many areas of Sumatra, people, forced by hunger, started demolishing shops. “People didn’t know that aid was coming, they were afraid they would die of hunger. So they started picking up food and water from shops,” local police spokesman Ferry Valintukan told the BBC. The situation is so serious that police forces had to be deployed to maintain order.
Sungai Nyalo – entire village turned into mud
The water flow in Sungai Nyalo village, 100 km away from Padang, the capital of West Sumatra, may have reduced, but the entire village is now buried in knee-thick, ash-gray soil. There are no houses left, no crops, no vehicles – there is only silence and destruction all around. Idris, a 55-year-old resident, told the BBC, “We did not leave our homes. There was a fear that what little was left would also be looted. But relief has not come yet.”
