For fisherman Effendi Basyaruddin, recent floods and landslides across Aceh province have reopened the scars of December 26, 2004, when a massive tsunami struck after a 9.1-magnitude earthquake. Nearly 200,000 people died in Aceh in that disaster. Effendi, 64, recalled seeing what he estimated was a 20-metre wave and how villages were turned into rivers; now he has lost his home again and is living in a tent by the sea, which he described as both friend and foe.
This week’s cyclone-driven floods and landslides on Sumatra have killed more than 800 people across Indonesia, including over 200 in Aceh, and the same storm systems have claimed about 200 lives in Thailand and Malaysia. The sudden inundations and mudslides have isolated communities, hampered relief efforts and brought back memories of the tsunami’s destruction.
Governor Muzakir Manaf warned that Aceh feels like it is “experiencing a second tsunami.” In hard-hit Aceh Tamiang, excavators sift through mud while residents search the ruins of flattened neighbourhoods. Adi Hermawan, 45, described his settlement as “completely destroyed, as if hit by a tsunami,” and officials say many victims may still be missing and hard to locate.
Local leaders have appealed to the central government to declare a national emergency to unlock additional funds and resources. North Aceh leader Ismail A. Jalil, in a video shared by a local outlet, urged greater attention and support, saying the scale of loss is extraordinary and many houses are gone.
The central government says it is supporting local authorities and has set aside a 500 billion rupiah (about $30 million) disaster relief fund that can be expanded if needed. When asked about declaring a national emergency, President Prabowo Subianto said the situation was improving and that current arrangements were adequate. Meanwhile, residents and aid workers continue to press for faster delivery of essentials such as clean water, food and shelter as rescue and recovery efforts proceed.
