North Aceh \u2014 \u201cOver there, by that tree trunk, that\u2019s where my house\nused to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mahdi (40) turned his body to point to the spot where his home once\nstood. Now it is completely bare, with not even debris to be detected.\nAll that remains are piles of wood from fallen trees and rocks carried\nby floodwaters.<\/p>\n
Then his finger shifted, pointing to a spot no more than a stone\u2019s\nthrow from the land where his house had once stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere! That\u2019s my father\u2019s house. Over there\u2014\u201d his finger swung\ntowards yet another spot \u2014 \u201cthat\u2019s a relative\u2019s house too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although his pointing finger could only direct one\u2019s gaze towards\nmore piles of wood and rocks, the look in Mahdi\u2019s eyes suggested the\nmemory of the wooden houses that once stood on that site remained vivid\nin his mind.<\/p>\n
The spirit behind his exclamation \u201cthat\u2019s my father\u2019s house\u201d\ncompelled anyone within earshot to look in the direction he pointed \u2014\neven though they knew there was no house to be seen.<\/p>\n
Mahdi\u2019s gaze yearned for the warm memories stored in every corner of\nthose dwellings, now swept away by flash floods in November 2025.<\/p>\n
Adi, as he is known to friends, is one of 326 residents of Lhok\nPungki hamlet who lost their homes. The hamlet is located in Gunci\nVillage, Sawang Sub-district, North Aceh Regency.<\/p>\n
According to data from the North Aceh Regency Government, the total\nnumber of people affected by the flood disaster in the area reached\n433,064 individuals or 124,549 households. Some 33,261 people or 9,242\nhouseholds remained displaced, whilst 2,127 people sustained\ninjuries.<\/p>\n
In terms of housing damage, 9,707 units were classified as severely\ndamaged, 26,298 units as moderately damaged, and 62,890 units sustained\nminor damage.<\/p>\n
Lhok Pungki has become known as \u201cthe lost hamlet\u201d, as flash floods\nand landslides obliterated nearly every house standing on its land.<\/p>\n
Only a handful of houses remain along the riverbank \u2014 few enough to\ncount on one\u2019s fingers. These houses are no longer inhabited, as all\nresidents of Lhok Pungki hamlet, numbering approximately 85 households,\nhave been evacuated to Paya Reubek hamlet, also located in Gunci\nVillage.<\/p>\n
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has advised the\nresidents of Lhok Pungki hamlet not to return to the area, as it has\nbeen classified as a disaster-prone zone.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Adi occasionally makes the journey to the place he once\ncalled \u201chome\u201d, each visit weighed down by heavy steps.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mahdi-who-longs-for-his-fathers-house-1771309810", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }