Flood Victims at Twin Bridge Receive Aid from German Resident
Padang Panjang — A total of 31 family heads affected by flash floods at Twin Bridge (Jembatan Kembar), located on the border between Padang Panjang city and Tanah Datar district in West Sumatra, have received humanitarian assistance from a German resident to mark Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijriah.
The aid was provided by Cornelia Fey, a 51-year-old German national who visited West Sumatra to experience life within the matrilineal culture of Ranah Minang. When distributing assistance to disaster-affected residents at Twin Bridge on Sunday, Cornelia expressed that she and her friends recognised the disaster that struck West Sumatra was extremely devastating.
“It was terrible seeing so many people affected by these floods and what happened. I felt deeply moved coming to the disaster site and seeing all the homes had disappeared, and residents showed me where their homes once stood,” she said.
The woman, who specialises in traditional herbal medicine, recounted the incident to her friends in Germany. Subsequently, donations totalling 930 million rupiah were successfully collected.
One aid recipient, Desi, expressed her delight at receiving cash assistance of 500,000 rupiah, which she plans to use to support her family’s livelihood. “I am very grateful for this assistance, to help us get by, especially since my husband has not yet returned to work,” said the mother of one child.
Similarly, Rista expressed her constant gratitude whenever receiving aid, whether from individuals or the government. She recounted that she remains shaken by the disaster that destroyed her newly completed home.
“I am grateful as we approach Lebaran. As for aid, praise be to God, food supplies are sufficient, but for purchasing chillies and other cooking ingredients, we are still short,” she said.
According to the West Sumatra Disaster Data Dashboard accessed on Sunday, the number of residents affected by flooding in November 2025 in West Sumatra reached 297,232 people, with 233 deaths, 31 unidentified deaths, and 72 people still reported missing.