More than 30,000 people have been displaced by the floods in Sumatra, Indonesia | Flood News

Medan, Indonesia – A new year has begun to rain on the Indonesian island of Sumatra after a typhoon killed more than 30,000 people and left two children dead, according to the country’s Disaster Mitigation Agency.

Heavy rains have hit parts of the western part of the island including the Jambi and Aceh provinces for days, fearing that the floods would damage the local economy and cause the COVID-19 crisis.

Muhammad Hatta says his village outside the town of Lhoksukon in Aceh province has been submerged since the beginning of the year, and there is no sign of respite.

Hatta, his wife, and his three sons were able to prevent a flood of water from entering their home by blocking their basement kitchen.

But even though they choose to stay there, they are afraid that things will get worse.

“We are very concerned about what happens when the floodwaters recede,” Hatta told Al Jazeera.

“All the rice fields in the area are underwater. The farmers were about to harvest their crops but often died within three to four days of drowning. Farmers have lost everything. ”

Aerial photographs taken by Hatta and seen by Al Jazeera showed unpaved roads in and around his village, and houses immersed in brown water.

In addition to the damage to rice crops, Hatta says day laborers in the area are also unable to work due to flooding.

“The local economy has deteriorated,” he said.

Other parts of neighboring Malaysia were also flooded by torrential rains, forcing thousands of people to live in temporary shelters. More than 50 people have died as a result of floods in the country, which have severely affected the areas of Selangor, Johor and Melaka, across the Strait of Malacca from Sumatra, in particular.

An emergency has been announced

Hatta said flooding is happening in the area every year and the government should prevent it from happening again by removing mud from the surrounding rivers – preventing the rivers from flooding again following heavy rains.

Hamdani, head of public relations at the North Aceh Regional Secretariat, told Al Jazeera that there were 32,854 people displaced in 16 states north of Aceh after a torrential downpour that engulfed the river below.

“People in the area have been hiding with relatives, in mosques and places of worship and in places of emergency protection,” he said.

On Sunday, North Aceh Regent Muhammad Thaib announced an emergency relocation due to flooding.

“We are working on improvements such as ensuring that the refugees have enough food. For a few days it is best for people to eat immediately but after that we should keep them healthy and feed them nutritious foods such as tempeh, beans, seeds and maize,” said Hamdani.

“We also need blankets for babies and babies and milk.”

Hamdani acknowledged that flooding was almost a year old and said the provincial government hoped that the construction of the Keureuto Dam, which is expected to be completed by 2023, would alleviate the problem. The dam will be filled with water from the Krueng Keureuto River and its six waterfalls.

Meanwhile, the flood comes at an inopportune time.

“The incidence of COVID-19 in North Aceh has dropped and I have had fewer patients coming to see me with major symptoms in recent weeks,” Lhoksukon cardiologist Dr Indra Buana told Al Jazeera.

Children in flooded villages around Lhoksukon. There are concerns about the spread of the disease, including COVID-19 [Supplied/Rina Samrani]

Aceh has reported nearly 38,000 cases of COVID-19 since the outbreak and more than 2,000 people have died, although no lawsuits or new deaths have been reported in recent weeks.

But now, doctors fear that the floodwaters could cause more infections at the same time as Omicron’s differences approach.

He states: “Floods are extremely dangerous. When people inhale it, they may drown or cause severe lung inflammation.

“Rainy and cold seasons at this time of year often cause illnesses such as asthma and stomach ailments.”

Another problem comes from people who have fled their homeland and fled and shared less space in accommodation or with relatives where it is difficult.

Aceh has one of the lowest vaccines in Indonesia with more than 1.2 million people who have been vaccinated twice out of more than 5.3 million people, according to Ministry of Health figures.

“We are concerned that there has been an increase in cases of COVID-19. It could be very dangerous if someone from outside the area with COVID-19 visits a shelter and unknowingly infects everyone,” said Dr Buana.

“But at the same time we cannot stop people from bringing aid. “