ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA — Three provinces in Sumatra have plunged into paralysis after catastrophic floods and landslides swept the region since late November 2025.
The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reports 753 deaths, 650 people missing, and more than 2,600 injured, while the number of affected residents has surged past 3.3 million.
The scale of destruction has intensified calls for the central government to declare the crisis a national disaster.
President Urged to Take Full Control
Fernando Emas, Director of Rumah Politik Indonesia, said the central government must immediately assume full authority over emergency operations. The escalating casualties, he noted, show that the situation has exceeded the response capacity of local governments.
“Many of our brothers and sisters are still missing, and the response remains far from optimal. There must be clarity: will the national government declare this a national disaster or leave it entirely to the regions?” he said on the On Focus program, Wednesday, December 3, 2025.
Fernando stressed that President Prabowo Subianto should prioritize the humanitarian emergency in Sumatra.
“The death toll is extremely high. For the sake of effective response, it is reasonable for the Sumatra floods to be declared a national disaster,” he stated.
President Prabowo has inspected several affected locations—Tapanuli Tengah, Medan, Aceh Tenggara, and Padang Pariaman—during his visit on December 1, 2025.
BNPB Data: Widespread Destruction Across Three Provinces
Casualty breakdown:
Aceh: 218 dead, 227 missing
North Sumatra: 301 dead, 163 missing
West Sumatra: 234 dead, 260 missing
Housing damage:
3,600 severely damaged
2,100 moderately damaged
3,700 lightly damaged
The figures are sourced from the BNPB Emergency Dashboard for the 2025 Sumatra Floods and Landslides, which is updated regularly.
BNPB Explains Why National Disaster Status Has Not Been Declared
Jonathan Victor Rembeth, a member of BNPB’s Steering Committee, emphasized that designating a national disaster involves comprehensive, multi-sectoral studies.
In Indonesia’s history, only two events have been classified as national disasters:
1. The 2004 Aceh Tsunami
2. The Covid-19 Pandemic
Any such designation, he said, must consider regional capacity, national impact, and the required scale of government intervention.
Mass Evacuations and Widespread Isolation
As access routes collapse and logistics remain limited, Basarnas (the National Search and Rescue Agency) has evacuated 35,857 residents as of Tuesday, December 2, 2025:
Aceh: 1,600 evacuated across 18 affected areas
North Sumatra: 4,599 evacuated across 11 districts/cities
West Sumatra: 29,658 evacuated across 11 districts/cities
Many villages remain completely isolated due to broken bridges, landslide-blocked roads, and river channels clogged with debris. Rescue teams are experiencing extreme fatigue due to continuous high-intensity search operations.
BNPB Launches Hotline for Families Searching for Missing Relatives
BNPB has opened a dedicated hotline for residents unable to contact family members in affected regions.
Hotline number: +62 811 6164 5500
Callers are asked to provide the name, age, gender, home address, and last known location of missing relatives. BNPB will forward the information to personnel stationed in each affected district for on-site verification.
(AT Network)
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