Heavy rains began pouring down on Sumatra, Indonesia's largest island, on 26/11/2024 and continued for several days, causing one of the most severe floods in decades.

As of 2/12/2024, at least 631 people have died across Sumatra island. According to the disaster response agency, one million people have been evacuated. Indonesian government agencies and relief groups are continuing efforts to provide rapid aid to affected residents. Search and rescue teams are also actively looking for 472 missing people.

The floods have severely impacted daily life, especially in Aceh province. In eastern Aceh, resident Zamzami, 33 years old, described the floodwaters as surging "like a tsunami and unstoppable". He added, "We cannot describe how high the water level was, it was truly unimaginable."

Indonesian rescue forces search for missing people after flash floods in Padang Panjang, West Sumatra province on 29/11/2024. Photo: AFP

In Zamzami's village, residents had to climb onto the roof of a two-story fish market to escape the rising waters. After the water receded, they began the arduous task of cleaning up mud, while simultaneously dealing with widespread power outages and communication signal loss. "Clean water is now very scarce. There are children with fevers but no medicine", Zamzami highlighted, underscoring the urgent humanitarian needs.

Aceh is among the most severely affected regions. Following the floods, many residents are rushing to stockpile essential goods. Erna Mardhiah, 29 years old, observed long lines at a gas station in Banda Aceh city, the provincial capital, stating, "Roads into the flooded areas have mostly been cut off. People are worried about running out of fuel."

The scarcity has caused prices of essential goods to skyrocket. "Chilies alone have reached 300,000 rupiah (USD 18) per kg; perhaps that is why people are rushing to stockpile", she added.

The humanitarian situation remains critical. According to the charity Islamic Relief, the risk of food shortages and famine in many Aceh communities will be very severe if supply routes are not restored in the next seven days.

In response, the Indonesian government announced on 1/12/2024 that it would send 34,000 tons of rice and 6.8 million liters of cooking oil to the three most affected provinces: Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. A naval vessel carrying 12 tons of food is expected to arrive in Aceh today. "No delays are allowed", emphasized Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman.

By Huyen Le (AFP)