East Aceh District Administration Equips Village Heads with Communication Devices

The East Aceh District Government (Pemkab) has equipped village heads in the area with two-way communication devices in the form of handy talkies (HT) to ensure smooth coordination during emergency situations and natural disasters.

East Aceh Regent Iskandar Usman Alfarlaky announced on Wednesday that the distribution of 106 handy talkie units to village heads was prompted by experience with hydrometeorological disasters in late November 2025.

“We are distributing 106 units of handy talkies to village heads. This procurement is based on our experience of flash flooding and landslides not long ago, where communication networks were completely lost,” he said.

In addition to communication equipment, the East Aceh District Government also distributed generators as a power source to village heads. The generator procurement was similarly informed by the hydrometeorological disaster experience, during which electricity was completely cut off.

According to Iskandar Usman, the provision of handy talkies and generators is intended to achieve village preparedness in facing natural disasters, including providing alternative communication tools in case of disaster.

“In improving our readiness to face disasters, we have also requested villages to redirect village funds from training such as technical guidance outside the region to disaster mitigation training,” he said.

The East Aceh Regent stated that the district government will hold an integrated coordination meeting attended by village heads, sub-district heads, and heads of district government agencies. The meeting will discuss disaster response amongst other matters.

“This meeting is mandatory and cannot be delegated. A number of strategic issues will be the focus, including handling regional disasters, strengthening centralised training, and emphasising the implementation of the Regent’s circular letter regarding mutual assistance,” he said.