The evacuees are being accommodated in government buildings, schools and tents in 22 locations.

Tonnes of food, water, tents and medical supplies have been trucked and flown into the main cities and towns in affected areas.

Relief supplies were sufficient but transporting them to stranded villagers who were running short of food was proving difficult, officials said in the worst-hit district of Aceh Tamiang.

"We have enough rice and other food supplies in Kuala Simpang, but distributing it to the most needy areas is still difficult," district official Marzuki told AFP.

Red Cross/Red Crescent trucks carrying tonnes of noodles and fortified biscuits donated by the World Food Programme managed to get through to villages in Aceh Tamiang as the flood waters started receding.

Some 1,000 troops, five helicopters and two Hercules transport aircraft have also joined the rescue effort.

The navy, which has two ships in the area, has also been asked to prepare inflatable dinghies to transport supplies to flood-hit areas, the Antara news agency said.

People in some isolated areas were forced to live off betelnuts as they had run out of rice, according to residents of nearby villages.

A military helicopter dropped rice and instant noodles to people in the cut-off village of Simpang Jernih in neighbouring East Aceh district Wednesday morning. Villagers and their children rushed to collect the supplies.

"We will drop this food for the people in East Aceh," East Aceh military commander Lieutenant Colonel Heri Safari told AFP on the helicopter.

Whole villages have been swallowed by flood waters, with residents escaping to find refuge on higher ground or trapped on the roofs of their houses.

More than 400,000 people fled the floods, with some 365,335 people displaced in Aceh alone, national disaster mitigation coordinator Syamsul Maarif told reporters in Jakarta.

At least 105 people were killed in Aceh and North Sumatra, with 210 still missing, he said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered troops and rescue workers to continue searching, he added.

"The president is following developments by communicating with the governors of Aceh and North Sumatra. The president gave orders to keep searching for missing people and continue to supply clean water, food and other supplies," Maarif said.

"Today we sent mosquito nets, because children are being bitten by mosquitoes, (as well as) drinking water, food, medical supplies and clothes to Aceh."

In Aceh Tamiang district, nearly the whole population of 239,000 was evacuated, according to official figures, while some 44 people were killed and 205 are still missing.

"Today we will focus our efforts on finding the missing people. We don't know if they are killed or taking refuge without reporting in," Marzuki said.

Volunteers in rubber dinghies and other boats have been rescuing people from the roofs of their homes and flooded schools, and transporting medical supplies.

Water levels appeared to have generally dropped in Aceh Tamiang but remained high in low-lying areas.

Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla has pointed the finger at illegal logging as one of the causes of the deadly floods, and pledged that the government would intensify its efforts to replant forests.

In June, floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains killed more than 200 people in South Sulawesi province.

earlier related report
Malaysian floods worsen as downpours return
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Dec 27 - Malaysia's flood crisis worsened Wednesday with more downpours that forced tens of thousands to flee their homes and five relief centres to reopen in southern Johor state. More than 65,000 people nationwide have been forced to evacuate, most of them in Johor where floodwaters are rising again, the official Bernama news agency said.

The number of evacuees peaked at 90,000 on the weekend but had halved until the situation worsened again on Tuesday.

The death toll from the worst floods in decades stands at eight, but rescuers are searching for a 17-year-old youth who disappeared several days ago, and a 14-year-old boy who was swept into a swollen canal on Wednesday.

Mohamed Farid Poniman, who had been staying at a relief centre with his family for the past week, was playing near the canal with friends when he slipped into the water, Bernama said.

Works Minister Samy Vellu said that some 81 million ringgit (22 million dollars) worth of damage had been caused to roads and bridges in stricken states, half of it in Johor.

Electricity authorities shut down power to Kota Tinggi, one of the worst-affected districts in the state, as floodwaters rose from 0.3 metres (one foot) to 0.6m Tuesday night. Major roads in the state remain closed.

The government has announced aid for 33,000 students affected by the floods, who will receive funds to replace school uniforms and books before the school year resumes on January 3.

The heavy monsoon rains have also affected central Pahang state and the tourist destination of Malacca, where thousands are sheltering in relief centres.

Newspaper reports said crocodiles were menacing flood victims and stealing chickens from backyard coops, while pythons and cobras had also been spotted in abandoned houses.

Related Links
International Committee of the Red Cross
Bring Order To A World Of Disasters