Four months on, Sumatra moves from emergency to reconstruction

Within days after floods and landslides hit, more than two million people were displaced across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.

Four months later, the emergency phase has been largely handled, but a much longer chapter, a permanent reconstruction, has only just begun.

Data from the Task Force for the Acceleration of Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Sumatra reveals two realities.

On one hand, emergency indicators show significant recovery progress. On the other hand, indicators for physical reconstruction face ongoing challenges in various areas.

Floods and landslides affected 52 districts/cities, 491 sub-districts, and 4,511 villages across the three provinces.

A total of 98,942 houses were damaged, consisting of 39,138 severely damaged, 26,044 moderately damaged, and 33,760 lightly damaged units.

Schools affected reached 4,922 units, health facilities 954 units, and places of worship 1,593 units. The total estimated losses and damages amounted to Rp16.83 trillion or US$995.4 million based on calculations in the second week of December 2025.

Behind these figures, Aceh bore the heaviest burden. Of the total 98,942 damaged houses, 81,654 units were located in Aceh. The number of displaced people in Aceh reached 1.46 million out of a total of 2.1 million across Sumatra.

As of March 20, seven districts in Aceh were still categorized as “requiring special attention” in terms of governance and social recovery, far more than North Sumatra and West Sumatra, which each had only two districts in that category.

In response to the disaster, the government has deployed substantial resources.

Until February 14, a total of 92,158 personnel from 17 ministries and agencies were mobilized, including the Indonesian Military, National Police, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), health workers, student volunteers, and cadets from various state academies.

As of March 24, there were 35,463 personnel in disaster-affected areas, improving post-disaster response processes.

The number of evacuees living in tents dropped sharply from 2.1 million in early December 2025 to just 171 people as of March 24, all located in Aceh Tamiang and Bireuen Districts.

North Sumatra and West Sumatra no longer have evacuees in tents. National roads across the three provinces have been fully restored. All 867 community health centers and 87 regional public hospitals affected have resumed normal operations.

Telecommunications base transceiver stations (BTS) have fully recovered. Electricity supply has been restored to 99.99 percent of affected customers.

Teaching and learning activities in all 4,922 affected schools have resumed 100 percent, although 50 schools are still using tents and six others are temporarily using other buildings.

The reactivation of traditional markets has reached 93 percent of the 210 affected markets. Mud clearance in 529 targeted locations has reached 84 percent completion.

Reconstruction phase

Beyond post-emergency handling, permanent housing is one of the most basic needs for affected communities to return to normal life.

However, implementation in the field is not hindered by budget constraints, but rather by the recurring issue of data on affected residents.

To support the waiting time for permanent housing, the government has provided temporary housing for disaster survivors.

Of the target 19,351 temporary housing units, around 84 percent have been built to allow affected residents to live more comfortably before their permanent homes are completed.

The government is targeting the construction of 36,669 permanent housing units across the three provinces.

As of March 24, only 110 units have been fully completed, while 1,359 units are under construction. This means that more than 35,000 permanent housing units still need to be completed within the three-year reconstruction target.

In addition, the government has also prepared an assistance scheme for housing repairs: Rp60 million for permanent housing, Rp30 million for moderately damaged houses, and Rp15 million for lightly damaged ones.

However, data validation issues at the regions have become a problem in disbursing these assistance funds.

As of March 5, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) had received data from only 45 districts/cities, while seven regions had not submitted requests for the funds at all.

Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian has urged regional heads to immediately complete data collection.

He emphasized that assistance will prioritize regions that submit complete data more quickly, allowing submissions in batches so that the overall disbursement process is not delayed.

Three-year reconstruction

Beyond housing, the infrastructure recovery also reflects a long journey ahead. River normalization processes have reached only 44 percent for rivers handled by the central government and 37 percent for those managed by regional authorities.

Regional bridges are only 67 percent functional. Rehabilitation of 42,702 hectares of agricultural land has reached just 1,311 hectares, or around three percent.

The total budget required for this reconstruction is estimated at Rp130 trillion or around US$7.6 billion over three years. The Ministry of Public Works alone has proposed around Rp70 trillion or around US$4.1 billion for permanent infrastructure repairs.

Moreover, the government has secured an additional Regional Transfer Fund of Rp10.6 trillion or around US$626.9 million.

The Ministry of Social Affairs has also processed the distribution of livelihood assistance, housing support, and economic stimulus totaling Rp713.9 billion to 215,998 beneficiaries out of a total budget of Rp878.6 billion or around US$51.9 million.

Funding, manpower, and time are required to rebuild Sumatra. However, the intensity of cooperation across all levels of government and society will determine the pace of reconstruction until the region fully recovers.

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