FLOODS IN PEKANBARU FORCE 5,130 PEOPLE TO EVACUATE

Pekanbaru, Riau, Sept 13 (ANTARA) - Flooding caused by the overflowing of the Siak river here has forced more than 5,130 people to evacuate to safer grounds.
"The evacuees come from the sub districts of Payung Sekaki and Rumbai," Pekanbaru Mayor Herman Abdullah said while visiting a flood-stricken area on Saturday.
Rumbai sub district was the hardest hit by the deluge.
According to data collected by the local administration the floods had inundated a total of 3,308 houses in the sub district, forcing 4,735 people to evacuate.
The number of flood evacuees may increase as the local government had learned that more than two sub districts had been affected.
By Saturday afternoon, it was known flooding had occurred in Rumbai, Rumbai Pesisir, Senapelan, Tenayan Raya, Limapuluh and Payung Sekaki sub districts.
An ANTARA journalist observed that because the number of evacuees continued to increase, the tent shelters set up by the local authorities could eventually not accommodate all the displaced people.
Consequently, many of them put up emergency tents along Jl Yos Sudarso and Jl Nelayan on their own.
Some of the flood victims had taken refuge at warehouses owned by companies in the city.
"The water level continues to rise as rains continue to fall, exacerbated by a high tide at night," Heri, an evacuee, said.