Schools Destroyed by Disasters, Enthusiasm for Learning Unquenched

In a classroom, students are working on their odd semester exam questions while the teachers supervise. Unlike usual exams, both students and teachers there are not wearing uniforms. Students from grades I to VI are even mixed together in one classroom.

"We are from Garoga State Elementary School. Our school no longer has any form," said first grade teacher, Henripay Nasution (34), Tuesday (9/12/2025).

Garoga Village is one of the areas most severely affected by flash floods in North Sumatra. Administratively, this village is part of the Batang Toru District, South Tapanuli Regency. It is located approximately 400 kilometers from Medan City. As of December 9, the joint search and rescue (SAR) team has found at least 22 deceased victims in the village, with several more victims still unaccounted for.

Local residents now refer to Garoga as a lost village. This is because, out of the hundreds of houses that once existed in the village, only a handful can still be seen in their form. The remaining houses are in such a severely damaged condition that they can no longer be used.

There are 110 children who previously attended Garoga State Elementary School. After the school building was destroyed, they are now studying at Batu Hula State Elementary School, which is approximately three kilometers away.

"My heart is truly broken, we shouldn't be teaching and learning here," said Henripay, who began to shed tears.

Henripay lives in the mess of Garoga State Elementary School with his wife. Around 10:00 AM, his wife shouted for him to quickly run from the house. "When I locked the house, I prayed in my heart, O Allah, protect this house because this is all we have," he said.

Henripay and his wife then sought refuge on the third floor of a hardware store located approximately 100 meters from the school. The walls of the building shook every time they were struck by large tree branches swept away by the flood.

"When the water receded, I saw that the shop's foundation was already hanging in several places. If the flood had lasted just a little longer, I don't think we would have survived," he said.

After taking refuge at the Batu Hula Post, Henripay heard that there was one teacher from Garoga State Elementary School who died due to the flash flood. As for the fate of his students, he has not yet received complete news regarding whether they are all safe.

In addition to students from Garoga Elementary School, there are also students from Huta Godang Elementary School who now have to transfer to Batu Hula Elementary School. The condition of Huta Godang Elementary School is still covered in mud and pieces of wood. The walls of several classrooms are also damaged due to the flash flood that occurred two weeks ago.

Second-grade teacher, Astuti Pandiangan (30), stated that both students and teachers from Huta Godang State Elementary School are now entirely displaced due to the disaster. Out of eleven second-grade students, three were absent on Tuesday (9/12).

"The teachers have visited students who have not been able to attend school; we have already provided the odd semester exam to be collected on Saturday (13/12/2025). We (the teachers) are also victims of the disaster, so we understand the children's situation," he said.

Kompas' monitoring on Monday (8/12/2025) at the Batang Toru Public Health Center, there were a number of elementary school students who still had to be treated because they had injuries from being swept away by the flood on November 25. One of them was Cahaya Simatupang from Garoga Village who was in grade V.

Cahaya suffered a tear on the heel of her left foot due to being pierced by a piece of palm tree that was swept away by the flood. This 10-year-old child was carried away by the flood that struck her home in Garoga Village and was found in Aek Ngadong Village, which is approximately two kilometers away.

"Yesterday her legs were swollen and for a week she cried in pain," said Cahaya's mother, Reni Panggabean (48).

Reni stated that when the roar of the flash flood was heard around 10:00 AM on November 25, she, her husband, and their five children ran to the Garoga Bridge. However, the water overflowed beyond the height of the bridge and swept them all away. The disaster claimed the life of Reni's eldest child.

"That's how I felt like the end of the world. I didn't remember my children anymore, I didn't remember anything anymore. I was just trying to save myself. After the water subsided, I realized my children were all gone," he said.

Similar to Reni, Henripay also feels that the flash flood that swept through Garoga is the most terrifying experience of his life. He never imagined that his childhood village would disappear in just a few minutes.

"I am also surprised to be alive. I feel this is the second chance given by God to those who survived. It is like a rebirth, so this current life must be utilized better," he said.

Data from the National Disaster Management Agency indicates that as of 7:00 PM on December 9, there are 85 confirmed fatalities and 30 individuals still missing due to the flash floods in South Tapanuli. In total, there have been 338 deaths across eight districts/cities affected by the disaster in North Sumatra, with 138 individuals still unaccounted for.