What is the Latest Development on the Sumatra Disaster?

1. What is the condition of the disaster-affected areas in Sumatra as of Sunday morning?

Five days after being struck by a disaster triggered by tropical cyclone Senyar and Koto, parts of Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra remain paralyzed. Several areas are still isolated.

On Saturday (29/11/2025) at 14:00 WIB, based on SAR data, there were 96 fatalities and 68 missing persons recorded in North Sumatra; 85 deceased and 90 missing in West Sumatra; and 13 dead and 9 missing in Aceh. In total, there were 188 fatalities and 167 missing individuals across these three provinces. A total of 35,183 residents have been evacuated.

In Aceh, the Banda Aceh-Medan road access remains paralyzed. Several sections of the road are impassable due to flooding and are blocked by debris or landslides, and several bridges have collapsed.

According to information from Hutama Karya, Saturday (29/11/2025), the Binjai (North Sumatra)-Langsa (Aceh) Toll Road is flooded. In Pidie Jaya, a bridge connecting the national road from Banda Aceh to Medan is severely damaged. Bireuen Regency is also isolated due to eight bridges connecting it to other cities being heavily damaged.

In the Aceh Mountains, Aceh Tenggara, Gayo Lues, Nagan Raya, Aceh Barat, Aceh Selatan Subulussalam, and up to Aceh Singkil, the routes remain difficult to traverse due to damaged bridges.

In several areas of Medan City and Deli Serdang Regency, North Sumatra, floods have nearly engulfed residential buildings, leaving only the roofs as places of refuge. Tanjung Pura, Langkat Regency, North Sumatra, on Saturday (29/11/2025), is still paralyzed due to being submerged in floodwaters.

In the city of Padang Panjang, West Sumatra, as many as 36 residents in RT 020 who reside in Silaing Bawah Village, Padang Panjang Barat District, are unaccounted for. These residents live in the Anai Valley. A total of 25 houses in the area were completely swept away by flash floods, while five others were damaged.

Agam Regency was the worst affected area with 74 people killed and 78 missing.

2. What is the current condition of the residents?

In Aceh, the numerous bridges swept away by floods have disrupted residents' activities. Residents must use boats to cross the river. The limited number of boats has caused residents to queue. They are also struggling to wade through the floodwaters to evacuate.

The Coordinator of the Aceh Disaster Care Volunteers, Fachrul Razi, stated that the telecommunications network in almost all areas of Aceh has not fully recovered. This further complicates the community's ability to obtain the latest news about their relatives in the affected locations.

In fact, many residents in isolated areas are beginning to struggle with food and clean water, as well as starting to suffer from post-disaster illnesses. Biruen has become one of the most severely affected and isolated regions in Aceh.

In North Sumatra, the stock of essential goods for the community in areas affected by flash floods and landslides in several villages in the Tapanuli region is starting to run out. For five days, access to the area has been completely cut off due to landslide debris along dozens of kilometers. Residents are beginning to leave the isolated villages in search of food supplies.

Dozens of residents from several isolated villages on the border of North Tapanuli and South Tapanuli began to walk out from their villages on Saturday (29/11/2025). They walked 20-30 kilometers to the nearest villages in the Adiankoting District, North Tapanuli.

In West Sumatra, there are still many families searching for the whereabouts of their relatives or family members who went missing due to the flash floods in Agam.

3. How are the efforts to rescue residents?

Search and Rescue (SAR) personnel from various agencies and the community are working together to search for victims in various cities and regencies in Sumatra. In addition, the opening of land routes that have been blocked by landslides is also ongoing. Besides using heavy machinery, the clearing is also being carried out with makeshift tools, such as hoes or bare hands.

The Aceh government has begun distributing aid to areas affected by the disaster. The assistance was transported using a Hercules aircraft belonging to the military from Jakarta to Banda Aceh, as many regions in Aceh remain inaccessible.

In mountainous areas, aid will be distributed directly by helicopter. Disaster posts will be supported by emergency telecommunications equipment and Starlink. Airborne aid distribution is also being carried out in North Sumatra.

From West Sumatra, a joint Search and Rescue team is searching for victims around the twin bridges on the national road Padang-Bukittinggi in Silaing Bawah Village, West Padang Panjang District, Padang Panjang City. Dozens of residents have yet to be found at this location.

Officers used water spray from fire trucks to try to remove the thick mud that had covered residents' houses.

Various methods are employed to penetrate isolated areas. This is important to facilitate the flow of aid to disaster locations. In addition to road openings, air routes are also utilized.

From Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, Jakarta, the delivery of logistics to the disaster-affected areas is carried out using four heavy transport aircraft of the Indonesian Air Force, namely the Hercules C-130, two Super Hercules C-130Js, and the Airbus A400M.

Assistance was also sent from Pondok Cabe Airport in South Tangerang, Banten. The police dispatched their personnel along with aid for the natural disaster victims in Sumatra, which included ready-to-eat food, blankets, baby supplies, tents, electric generators, rubber boats, and other items, with a total logistics weight reaching 10 tons.

Assistance was transported using two Fokker 27 MK 50 P/4401 aircraft destined for North Sumatra and a CN 295/P-4501 aircraft headed for Padang.

4. What is the weather forecast for the future?

On Saturday, the weather was clear throughout the day; however, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) stated that several areas in North Sumatra, Aceh, and West Sumatra are still expected to experience heavy rainfall in the next three days. Residents are urged to remain vigilant in facing the potential for disasters.

Based on the potential for extreme weather over the next three days, as cited from the bmkg.go.id website, moderate to heavy rain is expected to continue in North Sumatra and West Sumatra on November 29 and 30, as well as December 1. Meanwhile, in Aceh, there is a potential for moderate to heavy rain on December 1.

The potential for moderate to heavy rain over the next three days is also occurring in several regions in Indonesia, such as Java, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi. In fact, in other areas, such as Riau, Kalimantan, Nusa Tenggara, and Papua, rain is expected to reach the very heavy category accompanied by winds.

The BMKG Tropical Cyclone Warning Center (TCWC) at 07:00 WIB, Saturday (29/11/2025), reported that there is an ex-tropical cyclone Senyar within the monitoring area of TCWC Jakarta. Currently, the center of circulation is located at 5.0 degrees North Latitude and 105.9 degrees East Longitude.

In the waters of the South China Sea north of Tarempa, with maximum wind speeds of 30 knots and a minimum pressure of 1,003 hPa. Over the next 24 hours, the tropical cyclone Senyar is moving towards the northeast.

The potential for tropical cyclone growth within the responsibility area of TCWC Jakarta in the coming days is estimated as follows: Sunday (+24 hours) low, Monday (+48 hours) low, and Tuesday (+72 hours) low. Nevertheless, vigilance must be maintained to minimize the occurrence of disasters again.

Floods and landslides have struck the provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. Tens of thousands of families have been affected. The Kompas Humanitarian Fund has opened a humanitarian wallet to accommodate readers' donations to alleviate the suffering of the victims. The wallet is open until December 31, 2025. Donations can be transferred to the Kompas Humanitarian Fund Foundation account, BCA Gajah Mada Branch, Jakarta, A/C Number 0123021433.