Food Stocks Are Running Low, Thousands of Residents of Central Tapanuli and Sibolga Walk for Aid

TARUTUNG, KOMPAS – Thousands of residents from Tapanuli Tengah Regency and Sibolga City walked all day in search of food assistance to Tapanuli Utara on Wednesday (3/12/2025). For more than a week, the land access to Tapanuli Tengah and Sibolga City has been completely cut off. The area also lacks electricity, fuel, and communication networks.

According to Kompas, residents from Central Tapanuli began arriving in Adiankoting District, North Tapanuli, at midday. They came in groups from various villages in Central Tapanuli. "We've walked more than 30 kilometers since 7:00 a.m. This morning. We ran out of rice a few days ago," said Resti Mawarni Panggabean (47), a resident of Naga Timbul Village, Sitahuis District, Central Tapanuli.

Since noon until the evening, residents from Tapanuli Tengah continued to arrive in the Adiankoting District, Tapanuli Utara. This district is the last area that can be accessed via land routes towards Tapanuli Tengah. The Tarutung-Sibolga road, the main access to Tapanuli Tengah and Sibolga, is still buried under landslides from Kilometer 38 to Kilometer 62.

Resti stated that their rice supply has run out. She, along with her husband and two children, has only been able to eat cassava in recent days. Their stock of salted fish and vegetables has also been completely depleted. She walks with her child to seek assistance.

Thousands of residents who came included adults, the elderly, and children. Most of the residents were barefoot. Their feet, clothes, and bodies were covered in mud. They traversed a distance of 25-30 kilometers (km) from various villages in Tapanuli Tengah. They had to pass through dozens of landslide locations that had yet to be cleared.

Susi Juwita Hutabarat (40), a resident of Rampa Village, Tapanuli Tengah, has also run out of rice supplies at her home. Using a wooden stick, she walked unsteadily through the muddy road alongside hundreds of other villagers.

"We received information that there is assistance from the migrants from our village. Therefore, we walked for five hours to receive the aid," said Susi.

Sitahuis District is an area severely affected by disaster. Several villages in the district have been completely buried by landslides. According to residents, there are some individuals who are trapped under the landslide and have not yet been evacuated. A foul odor is emanating from several villages.

Residents in isolated villages have also run out of medicine. Salli Panggabean (40) came from North Tapanuli bringing medicine for her father who is in Nagatimbul Village. She departed in the morning, hitching a ride with an officer's vehicle from the city of Tarutung, North Tapanuli.

Salli walks nearly 10 hours round trip to deliver medicine to her father. "My father is elderly. He suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes. He has been out of medication for several days," she said.

Salli had previously been unable to contact her father. Three days ago, she had also walked to her village to seek news of her father while carrying a sack of rice. She is grateful that her father survived the disaster of flash floods and landslides. Several houses were buried in landslides in that village, resulting in fatalities.

Upon arriving in the village, her father complained about running out of medicine. Therefore, Resti returned to North Tapanuli and promised to come back to bring her father's medicine.

He intended to take his father to Tarutung. However, his father's advanced age made it impossible to walk for hours through mud and climb on forest paths.

"We sincerely hope that the government can provide assistance to our village. Until now, there has been no aid whatsoever in the Sitahuis District," said Salli.

Apart from medicines, Resti said, babies and children in Sitahuis District do not have stocks of milk, staple foods, and children's medicines.

North Sumatra Governor Bobby Nasution stated that the government is currently focused on opening access to the Tarutung-Sibolga road. This route will serve as the main access for delivering aid to Central Tapanuli and Sibolga. The delivery of aid has been hampered by the road access that remains disconnected.

"All parties are working to improve the main routes to Central Tapanuli and also routes within Central Tapanuli," said Bobby.

Bobby stated that heavy machinery has not been able to enter Tapanuli Tengah. The area can only be accessed via air routes. Therefore, road repairs in Tapanuli Tengah and Sibolga have not been able to be carried out optimally.

Bobby stated that he attended an emergency meeting on disaster management with the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, the Chairperson of the North Sumatra Regional House of Representatives Erni Aryanti, and the Regent of Central Tapanuli Masinton Pasaribu.

They are focused on opening access roads to supply basic needs for the refugees, improving electricity and telecommunications networks. According to data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), there are 283 fatalities and 173 missing persons in North Sumatra. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing.