Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA) - The ongoing flash floods that have left a Trans Sumatra road section in Rokan Hilir district, Riau province, submerged have forced local police officers to install emergency hazard warning signs for the safety of drivers.
Traffic police officers have put up the warning signs made of used plastic bottles tied with long ropes and bearing scotlight stickers to urge drivers to look out for potholes on flood-submerged roads.
"The warning signs have been put up along the roadsides of a road section near the Ujung Tanjung Bridge in Tanah Putih sub-district," head of Rokan Hilir Police's Traffic Unit, 1st Inspector Zahratul Aulia Harun, said.
The warning signs needed to be installed because a truck recently overturned as its driver was not aware there could be potholes in the middle of a flood-hit road section, she explained here on Monday.
The flash floods have disrupted the flow of vehicles on the road section that connects Riau and North Sumatra provinces, she added.
Meanwhile, the Riau Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) reported that the flash floods have affected 131,834 residents and inundated 32,303 houses in 6 districts in Riau province.
At least 2,066 residents have been displaced and have taken refuge at several emergency shelters, according to acting head of the BPBD-Riau Office, M. Edy Afrizal.
According to the agency's records, 870 residents have been displaced in Pelalawan district, 572 in Rokan Hilir district, 424 in Indragiri Hulu district, 88 in Dumai city, 72 in Bengkalis district, and 40 in Siak district, he said.
Besides affecting locals' houses, the flash floods have also left 79 public facilities, 49 school buildings, and 6 health facilities inundated, he said.
Riau Governor Edy Natar Nasution has also visited the Trans Sumatra road's KM 75 section, which has been submerged by floodwaters.
He said that the flash floods in Pelalawan district are part of a 20-year cycle of big floods.
Baca juga: 5.0-magnitude quake in Sula Islands, no tsunami alert
Baca juga: Check weather information before Eid travel
"We are deeply saddened by the floods, and we have declared an emergency response status in the flood-hit districts," he added.
The Riau provincial government has also declared a flood-emergency status from December 22, 2023, to January 31, 2024, in affected regions, he informed.
According to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency-Pekanbaru Station, the flash floods are expected to continue in Riau until the end of January 2024, he said.
