Floods hit North Sumatra and Aceh Provinces of Indonesia

Flooding submerged wide areas of Medan City in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia from 03 December 2020. Other areas of Sumatra Island and Java Island in Indonesia, along with 4 states in Peninsular Malaysia have also seen flooding over the last few days.

Update: One further fatality was reported after flooding in East Aceh Regency, Aceh Province that began 05 December 2020. Intial assessments suggest around 13,675 families are affected.

Disaster authorities said the situation in Medan was particularly severe. Flood water was up to 5 metres deep in some areas, according to Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB). At least 5 people have died and 2 are missing. A total of 4,249 families or 12,783 people were affected and 181 people evacuated. As many as 1,493 homes and 1 mosque were submerged.

Heavy rain caused the Deli, Babura and Denai rivers to overflow, BNPB said flooding the districts of Medan Johor, Medan Maimun, Medan Sunggal and Medan Tuntung. As of 05 December, flood water had started to recede.

Flooding was also reported in other areas of Sumatra Island. Around 180 households were affected by floods in Prabumulih City, South Sumatra Province on 03 December.

Further north, BNPB reported flooding in 23 districts of North Aceh and Bener Meriah Regencies in Aceh Province on 04 December after heavy rainfall. Landslides were also reported in Paya Bakong and Langkahan Districts. Initial assessments show that around 762 households have evacuated their homes and moved to safer areas.