The floods were triggered by incessant heavy rains that have fallen since Thursday at around 1 pm until Friday at 4 am local time, Asrul, an Aur resident, said here Friday.
Around 400 inhabitants of Aur village were forced to take refuge to higher grounds, he said.
"Most of the evacuees are elderly, teens, and children. They just have clothes that they are wearing," he said.
Their belongings such as furniture and motorcycles are left behind in the floods.
"The people could not safe their belongings because the flood waters reach a height of up to two maters," he said.
North Sumatra Police have mobilized personnel to help flood victims in the province, a police spokesman said.
The police officers would help evacuate, give medical services and manage the traffic, Senior Commissioner Hery Subiansauri, a spokesman of the North Sumatra Police, said.
"It`s a joint team. They were selected in accordance with the needs in the fields," Hery said.
Floods triggered by incessant heavy rains, submerged Batang Kuis area, Deli Serdang District, and seven sub districts in Medan city, North Sumatra.
Last January 2011, floods had submerged at least 700 houses in Medan Maimun sub district. Most men were on guard because Deli River located near their houses is overflowing, he said.
Following the overflowing of Deli, Babura and Belawan rivers, 16 sub districts had flooded.
Of the 16 flood-affected sub districts, 13 were the worst-hit, namely Medan Tuntungan, Medan Baru, Medan Polonia, Medan Maimun, Medan Sunggal, Medan Johor, Medan Helvetia, Medan Barat, Medan Marelan, Medan Labuhan, Medan Martubung, Medan Deli and Medan Belawan.(*)
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
