In the worst-hit district of Aceh Tamiang, more than 12,500 houses and 75 schools were destroyed along with 460 kilometres (280 miles) of road, the official Antara news agency said.

"There are no more floods (in Aceh), but residents' homes are still covered with mud up to one meter (more than three feet) deep, so they have to remain in camps," Indonesian Red Crescent spokesman Dharma Wijaya told Antara.

"The people cannot clear the big tree trunks that cover almost 80 percent of their villages," Wijaya said from Kuala Simpang, the capital of Aceh Tamiang.

The government has blamed illegal logging as one of the causes of the deadly floods, which were triggered by torrential rains, and mudslides and pledged to intensify efforts to replant forests.

Rescue workers have managed to reach all parts of Aceh province, which was worst hit by the floods, but drinking water is still a problem.

"Clean water is scarce in Aceh Tamiang as people's water wells are filled with mud," Aceh provincial spokesman Nurdin Joes told AFP.

British charity Oxfam has sent health teams to monitor the situation.

"We are working together with other NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to supply clean water for people in the area," Aceh Oxfam spokesman Yon Thayrun told AFP.

Local Prosperous Justice Party volunteer Mustafa said most refugees were concentrated in Tenggulun and Tamiang Hulu districts, with around 4,000 people registered.

"Many other organisations are here distributing aid, including international organisations such as Oxfam, Save the Children and other NGOs," he said. Relief workers had faced problems with slow and limited supplies, as well as access difficulties due to the floods and landslides which destroyed roads and bridges in Aceh and neighbouring North Sumatra.

Evacuees were being accommodated in government buildings, schools and tents, while others have found shelter with relatives and friends.

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A world of storm and tempest