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View all search resultsNorthern Sumatra leaders raise white flag amid deadly floods
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People wade through the floodwater in the aftermath of flash floods at Tukka village, Central Tapanuli, North Sumatra, on December 2, 2025. The death toll from floods and landslides that have struck Indonesia's Sumatra island since last week has risen to 712, the National Disaster Management Agency said on December 2. (AFP/YT Hariono)
W
ith at least 712 dead and hundreds more missing from floods and landslides across northern Sumatra, regional leaders have admitted that they cannot handle the crisis alone, underscoring deep budgetary and logistical gaps in disaster response.
Three Aceh regents, Central Aceh’s Haili Yoga, South Aceh’s Mirwan MS and Pidie Jaya’s Sibral Malasyi, have signed circulars admitting their limited disaster response capacity, with many villages still cut off even seven days after the disaster. The letters detail damage to infrastructure, disrupted health services and impaired transportation, along with paralyzed economic activity.
Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf even broke down in tears as he described the devastation from last week’s floods and landslides, calling the catastrophe a “second tsunami” that wiped out several villages, leaving large parts of the province in ruins. He said the immediate priority was restoring access to isolated areas across 18 regencies and municipalities.
However, East Aceh Regent Iskandar Usman Al Farlaky revealed on Tuesday that fellow regents were struggling due to a lack of heavy equipment and insufficient budgets.
“Although we have heavy equipment, much of it is damaged and unusable. Budget-wise, it is impossible for a region with a contingency budget allocation of only Rp 2 billion [US$120,461] to handle the situation," Iskandar said, referring to the regency’s allocation for unforeseen expenses, as quoted by Tribunnews.com.
Under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, regional government budgets have been significantly reduced this year, with further cuts planned for 2026, affecting both revenue-sharing funds and regional transfer funds.
Read also: Cyclone havoc signals heightened climate crisis, environmental destruction
