Like a Small Tsunami, Aceh was Devastated by Floods and Landslides

Hydrometeorological disasters caused by extreme weather triggered by the tropical cyclone Senyar that struck Aceh have had an extraordinary impact on the residents. This disaster reminds the people of Aceh of the tsunami that hit this province, known as the Veranda of Mecca, in 2004. However, the scale of this disaster is smaller.

This disaster has caused road access to be cut off due to floodwaters that are still difficult for vehicles to traverse. Infrastructure has been severely damaged, with roads collapsing and bridges falling. The electricity and telecommunications networks are also paralyzed as most of their towers have collapsed. As a result, the number of casualties and those affected by this disaster is likely to be higher but remains unmonitored.

After four days without news, or since extreme weather struck Aceh on Tuesday (25/11/2025), Fachri Zikrillah (27) suddenly provided an update via a message in the WhatsApp group that he and his family were safe. Fachri had just gained access to Starlink internet at the Reje/Village Head's Office in Kute Lot Village, Kebayakan District, Central Aceh Regency, on Friday (28/11/2025).

Currently, the internet network has become the only available internet access in Central Aceh. From the photo shared by Fachri, it can be seen that residents are crowding the Kute Lot Reje Office to take advantage of this internet access. With the internet, residents are able to quench their thirst for communication with family and relatives both within Central Aceh and outside the region.

Fachri himself assured that he and his family are safe. They reside in the Kalanareh area, Pegasing District, Central Aceh, which is far from rivers and mountains. As a result, they are spared from the impacts of floods and landslides. However, if assistance does not arrive within a few days, they are concerned about a shortage of fuel oil, gas, and logistics/basic necessities.

Fachri, whose voice was intermittent due to unstable internet, told Kompas that Central Aceh currently feels trapped in the mountains. All roads to and from Central Aceh are cut off due to still-high water levels, landslides, and landslides.

The situation has worsened as both mobile phone and internet networks are down. Information regarding Central Aceh is nearly unknown. In fact, news about Central Aceh only began to circulate after light rain since Thursday (27/11/2025) evening. Residents are starting to venture outside their homes and seek sources of internet connectivity that can be utilized, one of which is Starlink internet at the Kute Lot village head's office.

"Currently, the stock of fuel, gas, and essential goods is starting to dwindle across Central Aceh. If we do not receive additional supplies soon, we will become increasingly isolated from communication and face hunger in the coming days," he stated.

Fachri stated that his phone was operational because it had been charged using a generator powered by fuel. The Starlink internet at the Kute Lot office was also functioning due to the generator. Therefore, if the fuel runs out, communication access will be completely cut off because the phone cannot be charged and the Starlink internet cannot be activated. This was the last update from Fachri in a conversation that lasted about 3 minutes. After that, communication was interrupted again.

The hydrometeorological disaster in Aceh this time is indeed worse than imagined. This is what Rahmat Mirza (33), a resident of Kampung Tambun Tunong, Dewantara District, North Aceh Regency, feels.

Before the disaster occurred on Tuesday, Rahmat admitted his mother and younger sibling to Arun Hospital in Lhokseumawe City on Sunday (23/11/2025). His mother was suffering from heart problems and needed to be treated in the ICU, while his younger sibling had a high fever.

On Tuesday, extreme rainfall caused flooding in several areas of North Aceh. Initially, Rahmat estimated it was just a regular seasonal flood. In reality, the extreme rain persisted for a long time, resulting in the flood growing larger.

On Wednesday (26/11/2025), Rahmat received news that floods had inundated his village to a height of 3 meters. All the houses in the area, which is home to around 5,000 residents, were submerged up to the rooftops. This became the largest flood that had ever occurred there, at least in Rahmat's lifetime.

Because he never predicted that disaster would occur, Rahmat did not bring enough clothing and food supplies. He only brought two pieces of clothing and minimal food. Now, all of his clothes are dirty and cannot be replaced, and the food has run out. He is confused about what to eat because the shops are closed. Fortunately, the food supply for his mother and younger sister is secure as there is a supply from the hospital.

The atmosphere of distress reminded Rahmat of the tsunami that struck Aceh 21 years ago. At the very least, both disasters are related to water that arrives unexpectedly and occur at the end of the year. The disaster caused transportation access to be severed and communication to be paralyzed.

Many affected residents are unmonitored due to difficulties in accessing their locations. The situation is becoming increasingly difficult as stocks of fuel and basic necessities dwindle. "For us, this disaster feels like a small tsunami. This disaster may not have caused as many casualties as the tsunami in 2004, but the suffering from its impacts is very severe, similar to the early days of the 2004 tsunami," said Rahmat.

What is still worth appreciating is that Rahmat has access to electricity from the hospital's generator and internet connectivity from the hospital's WIFI. Although the electricity and internet are unstable, at least Rahmat can use them to monitor the developments of the flooding that has affected his village and the surrounding areas.

According to information from the SAR team on the ground, as of now, floods reaching 2 meters in height are still affecting all areas of Dewantara. Although the rain has subsided since Thursday evening, the floods in almost all regions of North Aceh have not fully receded. Moreover, residents are concerned that the floods may rise again if it rains once more. Especially since the weather on Friday afternoon has been observed to be becoming overcast.

Therefore, even if the condition of his mother and younger sister improves and the flood recedes, Rahmat will not bring his family back home in the near future. Moreover, all household furniture, including the mattress, is believed to have been damaged due to being submerged in water for days.

"We were fortunate to have entered the hospital before the disaster occurred. What about other residents? Perhaps many are still taking refuge in makeshift shelters in elevated areas around the village," said Rahmat.

Suffering is not only felt by the residents directly affected at the disaster site; Acehnese individuals living away from home are also anxiously concerned about the condition of their families in the village. The disruption of electricity and telecommunications networks has made it impossible for those living away to obtain accurate news about their families in the village.

One of those concerned is a resident of Langsa City who has been living in South Tangerang since 2014, Lisa Fantina (46). She stated that both of her parents and three siblings still reside in different locations in Langsa. When her family reported that flooding began to hit Langsa on Tuesday night due to prolonged extreme rainfall, Lisa predicted that the impact would be similar to the seasonal floods that frequently occur.

In reality, the impact of flooding continues to worsen each time new information is conveyed by both parents and three siblings through the family WhatsApp group. In fact, the residence of both parents, located in Kampung Seuriget, Langsa Barat District, which has never experienced flooding, is now inundated.

Flooding, which usually only reaches a few centimeters in her relative's house around TM Bahrum Street, Paya Bujok Teungoh Village, Langsa Barat, has risen significantly higher. In fact, the flooding there has submerged houses.

Despite the worsening impact of the flood, initially, Lisa remained calm as she was still able to communicate with her family in the village, and her relatives were in a safe condition. However, on Wednesday at around 1:55 PM WIB, that communication was cut off. Her family no longer provided updates through the group WhatsApp messages. Conversely, when Lisa sent messages in the group, no one read them. Her calls to her family also went unanswered.

Lisa employed various methods to obtain information about her family. She attempted to reach out to her network of friends in the Langsa area, but the results were fruitless. Everyone was unreachable. This situation caused distress as she was haunted by feelings of worry.

The situation became increasingly chaotic when Lisa received news that the access roads to and from Langsa were cut off, both the Medan (North Sumatra)-Langsa route and the Banda Aceh-Langsa route. Several sections of the roads to and from Langsa are impassable due to being inundated by severe flooding, and there are also bridges that have collapsed.

In fact, Lisa's younger sibling, who wishes to return from Jakarta to Langsa, is confused. Her sibling plans to fly from Jakarta to Kualanamu (North Sumatra) before continuing the overland journey from Medan to Langsa on Saturday (29/11/2025). However, she received news that the overland route may still be impassable until Saturday.

This situation is similar to that during a tsunami, as transportation and communication access has been cut off for days. We are left confused about what to do. We cannot go there, and we cannot make contact either.

"This situation is similar to when a tsunami occurs because transportation and communication access has been cut off for days. We are confused about what to do. We cannot go there, and we cannot connect either," said Lisa.

Now, Lisa can only surrender and continue to offer her best prayers for her family in the village. She hopes that the disaster will be resolved soon so that the affected residents can quickly receive assistance and communicate with their families outside the area. "In an emergency situation like this, the most important thing is to get confirmation that our family is safe," said Lisa.

The Coordinator of the Aceh Disaster Care Volunteers, Fachrul Razi, predicts that the impact of this disaster is far greater than the information provided by the government. This is because there are many areas that remain isolated from transportation and telecommunications access.

The areas severely affected include the interior of Pidie Jaya, Bireuen, North Aceh, East Aceh, Langsa, and Aceh Tamiang. In addition to these eastern coastal regions, other severely affected areas are located in the mountains, such as Bener Meriah, Central Aceh, Gayo Lues, and Southeast Aceh.

After the electricity and communication networks gradually recovered in parts of Banda Aceh starting Thursday evening, many residents began to inquire through WhatsApp groups and social media belonging to the Aceh Disaster Care Volunteers. They were asking for help to confirm the news about their families in areas that were still inaccessible by transportation or communication. Most of those inquiring were Acehnese living away from home.

Several residents in the affected areas who have begun to gain access to communication have sent several photos and videos regarding the conditions in their locations. Some reported that their area is still significantly affected by flooding. Others showed that the floodwaters in their region are starting to recede, but the impacts are severe as some houses have collapsed and others are buried under mud carried by the floodwaters.

Many residents are seeking help as they are beginning to suffer from illness and hunger. The condition of elderly residents and toddlers is particularly vulnerable to fever due to being affected by extreme rain and flooding for several days. Skin diseases are also starting to afflict the residents.

The situation is worsening as food supplies are beginning to run out. They cannot purchase anything because there are no shops open. When they do open, the stock is very limited and prices have skyrocketed. Residents also have to compete to obtain the remaining supplies.

Almost all access to the distribution of essential goods has been cut off, such as eggs, which mostly come from North Sumatra, fish from the coast of Aceh, and vegetables from Central Aceh. Currently, the supply of eggs in the market is scarce because there is no one to distribute them to Aceh due to the paralysis of the Aceh-North Sumatra land route.

Fish are nearly absent due to the lack of fishermen going to sea as the weather remains unfriendly. Vegetables are also in short supply because agricultural lands in Central Aceh have been affected by floods and landslides.

"This disaster is not an ordinary disaster. It is a minor tsunami. The central government should declare the disaster in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra as a national disaster to expedite the response. We must not allow more victims to fall due to slow handling," said Fachrul.

This disaster is not an ordinary one. It is a minor tsunami. The central government should declare the disaster in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra as a national disaster to expedite the response efforts. We must not allow the number of victims to increase due to slow handling.

Based on the actual data from the Aceh Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBA) as of November 28, 2025, at 09:30, hydrometeorological disasters in Aceh have affected 126,655 individuals and displaced 28,631 individuals across 17 districts/cities. The disaster has also resulted in two fatalities and one missing person in Southeast Aceh, one fatality and two missing persons in Gayo Lues, as well as one missing person in Bener Meriah.

The data is likely to continue increasing as there are several regions still undergoing assessment. On the other hand, flooding in most affected areas has yet to recede. The flood levels vary, averaging around 60 centimeters to a maximum height of 2 meters.

In addition to causing thousands of residents' homes to be severely damaged, moderately damaged, and lightly damaged, a number of public infrastructure were also severely damaged, especially land access roads and bridges. Furthermore, as reported by Kompas.com on November 27, 2025, 12 150 Kilovolt (KV) High Voltage Overhead Line (SUTT) power transmission towers were damaged.

The power outage caused the interruption of cellular telecommunications transmissions. Kompas.id news, November 27, 2025, reported that 799 telecommunications transmission sites or facilities in Aceh were down due to the power outage. Cellular operators attempted to restore power but were hampered by access to the affected locations.

With such extraordinary impacts, DPD member from Aceh Azhari Cage stated that it is appropriate for the central government to declare the hydrometeorological disaster affecting Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra as a national disaster. This is crucial to ensure that disaster emergency response is faster, more accurate, and holistic.