TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - As many as 313 flood victims from Tanjung Selamat village, Sunggal sub-district, Deli Serdang district, North Sumatra, are currently lodged at two command posts set up in the area.

Most of them are residents of De Flamboyan housing complex in Tanjung Selamat village, Sunggal sub-district head Ismail said on Saturday.

"There are 313 residents taking refuge in two command posts set up at Tanjung Selamat and Arhanudse Tanjung Selamat village halls," he confirmed.

Some flood victims have returned home to clear mud and debris from their houses, he said.

"A joint team of officers from BPBD (Regional Disaster Mitigation Board), Polri (Indonesian Police), TNI (Indonesian Military), and volunteers is working hand in hand with the public to clear mud and debris from Tanjung Selamat village, particularly De Flamboyan housing complex," he added.

The flash floods that swept through some parts of the North Sumatran city of Medan and its outskirts on Friday reportedly killed five residents of Tanjung Selamat village.

The floods were triggered by the overflowing of the Belawan River following rainfall in the affected areas early on Friday, Ismail said.

While inspecting the flood-hit housing complex in Tanjung Selamat village earlier, North Sumatra Governor Edy Rahmayadi said TNI and Polri personnel, along with the Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) workers, will remain on standby to locate flood victims who were carried away by the water current when the flood hit the village on Friday (December 4, 2020).

Over the past two months, North Sumatra has witnessed at least two flash floods. On November 18, 2020, a flash flood struck the Bukit Lawang tourist resort in Langkat district.

The flood, which was caused by the overflowing of Landak River in the Bukit Lawang tourist resort, destroyed a suspension bridge and ripped apart 13 wooden and bamboo kiosks.

The flood washed away 13 cows, but no fatalities were reported in the catastrophe that struck following heavy rains between midnight and 2 a.m. local time, Bahorok sub-district head Dameka Putra Singarimbun stated.

Also Read: Jakarta Braces for Flood as City Rivers Cannot Contain Excess Water

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