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View all search resultsThousands of Aceh flood evacuees welcome Ramadan from emergency tents
Panji Akbar, another evacuee in Aceh Tamiang, said he fears this year’s Ramadan will be far less peaceful than in previous years.
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Interrupted childhood: Two children from Gampong Gunci village stand in a temporary housing complex on Monday in Sawang, North Aceh, Aceh province. A total of 326 residents from 85 families have been living in the emergency shelters for three months after flash floods and landslides struck their villages in late November 2025. They are scheduled to relocate to temporary housing at the start of Ramadan. (Antara/Aprillio Akbar)
M
ore than two months after devastating floods hit Aceh, thousands of displaced residents in the Muslim-majority province are welcoming Ramadan in crowded emergency tents, worried they will have to fast under difficult conditions.
For 40-year-old Firman Banurea, who has been living in a makeshift shelter in Aceh Tamiang regency with his wife and three children, the approach of the fasting month brings anxiety rather than joy.
“I never imagined we would spend Ramadan in an evacuation camp,” he said on Monday. “All these years, my family and I welcomed the fasting month happily at home. I feel like crying whenever I think about it.”
Firman’s home was left severely damaged after floods inundated Sumatra in November last year, leaving it uninhabitable.
He estimates it would cost around Rp 40 million (US$2,375) to rebuild, money he simply does not have. Meanwhile, so far, he said, he has not received any government assistance to repair his home.
Firman said she applied for a unit in temporary housing several days ago, hoping to give his family a more dignified and comfortable place to celebrate Ramadan. However, he has received no response so far.
With no alternative but to remain in the emergency tent, Firman said he now focuses on keeping his family healthy through the holy month so they can fast and pray without disruption.
