National Disaster in Sumatra: Government Declares Priority Response for Floods and Landslides

December 4, 2025
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Sorenamoo
Posted in Nasional

The Indonesian government has prioritized response efforts for the floods and landslides that struck three provinces in Sumatra — Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra — at the end of November 2025. The calamity claimed 776 lives and left hundreds more displaced, yet it has not been officially declared a national disaster.

According to Ahmad Muzani, Speaker of Indonesia’s People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), President Prabowo Subianto made a careful decision not to declare the floods as a national disaster. Muzani explained after meeting the President at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on December 2, 2025:

“The President has specific considerations. It is within his authority as head of state to make this decision through a presidential decree.”

Muzani emphasized that the government has already been able to manage the disaster situation effectively, coordinating with provincial, city, and district authorities.

Government Response and National Priority Status

Puan Maharani

Puan Maharani, Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR), stated that the government is still reviewing inputs from affected regions before deciding on a national disaster declaration.

“The government and DPR are listening to feedback from local authorities in the affected areas to determine whether a national disaster status is necessary,” she said on December 4, 2025.

President Prabowo personally inspected the flood- and landslide-hit areas on December 1, 2025, directing rapid distribution of logistics, restoring access to isolated regions, and establishing emergency routes for vital infrastructure. Both air and sea fleets were mobilized to reach remote areas, ensuring essential aid delivery.

In Serdang Bedagai, North Sumatra, authorities reported a gradual recovery. Abdul Rahman Purba, Head of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Sergai, confirmed that water levels in nine out of eleven districts have receded, and normalcy is slowly returning.