Residents in Aceh Tamiang, Indonesia, were forced to climb over slippery fallen logs and walk for nearly an hour on Saturday to reach an aid centre, as the death toll from this month’s floods and landslides on Sumatra rose to more than 900.
Government data showed that 908 people have died across three provinces in Sumatra, including Aceh, due to cyclone-driven floods and landslides. Another 410 people remain missing. The same storm system also caused around 200 fatalities in southern Thailand and Malaysia.
In Aceh Tamiang on Sumatra’s northeast coast, survivors described to Reuters how they had to make their way through debris, scattered logs, and overturned cars just to access relief supplies distributed by volunteers. Witnesses said volunteers provided clean clothing and delivered a tanker truck of fresh water so residents could refill plastic bottles.
One survivor, 14-year-old Dimas Firmansyah, who studies at an Islamic boarding school, said the area had been cut off and students were stranded for a week. They took turns searching for food and were forced to boil and drink floodwater.
“We stayed there for about a week,” Dimas said, urging government officials to visit and witness the destruction firsthand.
Local leaders in Sumatra have requested that the national government declare a state of emergency, which would unlock more resources for rescue and relief efforts. President Prabowo Subianto, however, said earlier in the week that conditions were improving and that current measures were adequate.
Halt on Company Operations
Environmental groups say deforestation caused by mining and logging worsened the flooding. Indonesian authorities are now investigating companies suspected of clearing land near the affected regions.
The environment ministry announced it has temporarily suspended operations of the companies under investigation and will require them to undergo environmental audits.
Among the companies named are North Sumatra Hydro Energy, operator of the China-funded 510-megawatt Batang Toru hydropower plant, and Agincourt Resources, which runs the Martabe Gold Mine in the same region.
Aerial surveys revealed land clearing in Batang Toru that may have intensified the flooding, officials said.
North Sumatra Hydro Energy did not respond to a LinkedIn request for comment, and Agincourt Resources did not respond to an emailed inquiry.