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The President must declare the Sumatra floods and landslides a national disaster so the state can mobilize its vast emergency response apparatus and afterward, learn crucial lessons from this incident for future policies and actions.
On Nov. 25, flash floods triggered by Cyclone Senyar struck Sumatra, severely damaging Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. Two weeks later, more than 3 million people had been affected, with 1 million displaced, 836 dead, 518 still missing, and some 2,700 injured as of 16.00 Western Indonesia Time (WIB) on Dec. 4.
The regions hit by the floods and landslides in Aceh remain cut off from the government’s rescue efforts and aid delivery because of infrastructural damages, prompting fear of a rising death toll in one of the worst-hit provinces in the disaster.
Aceh resident Munawar Liza Zainal said he felt "betrayed" by the government, which has so far shrugged off pressure to declare a national disaster. Declaring a national disaster would free up resources and help government agencies coordinate their response.
The military has erected at least 10 portable bridges, called "Bailey bridges", in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra provinces to help with the distribution of food and aid supplies to isolated residents, Major General Freddy Ardianzah told reporters on Friday.
The Environment Ministry has launched an investigation into several firms suspected of contributing to the devastating disaster across northern Sumatra, while the minister has vowed not to spare any local administrations whose policies led to environmental degradation.
