Indonesia Flood Disaster Deepens as Death Toll Rises and Government Ramps Up Emergency Response
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JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — President Prabowo Subianto has expressed deep concern over the devastating floods and landslides sweeping across northern Sumatra, as the death toll continues to rise and government agencies intensify a large-scale emergency response across three provinces.
Speaking at the National Teachers’ Day ceremony in Jakarta on Friday, the President opened his remarks by extending condolences and prayers to residents in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra who were caught in the disaster. “We pray that they are always protected by the Almighty, and that their sorrow and suffering may be eased,” he said, noting that the government had been mobilizing support by land and air since the first day of the crisis.
Authorities are now confronting one of the widest natural-disaster footprints on the island in recent years. Extreme rainfall linked to the Senyar cyclone triggered widespread flooding, flash floods and landslides across dozens of districts, cutting off major road arteries, damaging vital bridges and forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes.
The worst of the destruction remains concentrated in North Sumatra, where the National Disaster Management Agency reported that 116 people had died as of Friday afternoon, while 42 others were still unaccounted for. “This data will continue to evolve because there are still disaster sites that cannot yet be reached,” said BNPB Chief Suharyanto in a virtual briefing.
The scale of the impact has strained local infrastructure. Access between Tarutung and Sibolga, one of the hardest-hit corridors, has been severed for days. Joint teams from the military, national police and Public Works Ministry have opened roughly ten kilometers of the route, but key sections remain buried under landslides. Communications in the region collapsed earlier in the week, prompting the emergency deployment of low-orbit satellite connectivity to restore basic coordination. “It is now relatively possible to communicate in Tapanuli Tengah, and the situation will continue to improve,” Suharyanto said.
In West Sumatra, the cyclone’s spillover effects triggered some of the most intense rainfall this season, contributing to 23 deaths and leaving 12 people missing. Nearly four thousand families have fled their homes in Padang Pariaman, Solok and surrounding districts. Rescue teams continue to grapple with landslides that have swept away stretches of national roads and damaged at least five bridges. “The scale of the disaster is large and massive,” Suharyanto stressed, even as he acknowledged that weather conditions had begun to improve and could accelerate recovery.
The central government has moved to expand air support for rescue and relief missions. Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said eleven helicopters had been dispatched from Jakarta to Sumatra, reinforcing earlier deployments from the military and Basarnas. “These helicopters are flying continuously to distribute logistics, especially to the deepest areas and those cut off by road,” he said, adding that pilots were operating under strict weather-safety protocols amid persistent instability in the region.
The storm’s aftermath has also prompted scrutiny of environmental degradation and illegal mining, which some local groups accused of contributing to the severity of the floods and landslides. Deputy Energy Minister Yuliot Tanjung said the government had activated the forest-area enforcement task force to examine suspected violations. “If activity is proven to be illegal, the government will immediately take action,” he said. Yuliot added that ensuring electricity and fuel access remained the ministry’s priority, noting that outages and broken roads had complicated recovery in many communities.
The cascading impact has also disrupted essential services, including the operations of Bank Syariah Indonesia in several Aceh districts. “Some branches were affected because the disaster cut access and turned off the infrastructure,” said Anton Sukarna, the bank’s director of sales and distribution. Several offices have temporarily merged operations with nearby branches until electricity and telecommunications can be restored.
On the humanitarian front, state-owned lender BTN has partnered with the Huria Kristen Batak Protestan church network to channel emergency supplies into the worst-hit zones. “HKBP understands the situation and the areas most in need, so the effectiveness of distribution can be better ensured,” said BTN President Director Nixon Napitupulu. The bank is preparing follow-up visits to Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra to monitor community needs as the crisis evolves. Major civil-society groups such as Dompet Dhuafa have also deployed rapid-response teams, opened public kitchens and activated multiple command posts across the island.
Dompet Dhuafa’s disaster management team estimates that at least 174 people have died across Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra, and more than 12,000 families have been displaced. “Children, mothers and the elderly are living in shelters with minimal facilities, many having escaped with only the clothes they were wearing,” said Shofa Qudus, head of the organization’s disaster-response unit. Volunteers are distributing food, medical supplies and evacuation equipment while coordinating closely with BPBD offices and local authorities.
As floodwaters slowly recede in some districts, the full extent of the destruction has yet to be determined. Entire neighborhoods in parts of Padang Pariaman, Tapanuli and Pidie remain inaccessible, with rescue teams trekking on foot or using inflatable boats to reach survivors. The President urged the country to remain vigilant against the broader threat of climate change and environmental disruption, calling the floods a stark reminder of rising climate-related risks. “This is a challenge we must face,” Prabowo said.
With weather conditions showing signs of stabilization, the government is pushing to restore critical connectivity and step up the flow of aid. But officials caution that the emergency phase is far from over, and the number of victims may continue to rise as assessments expand into remote valleys and mountain villages still cut off by landslides.