Holding onto hope: Disaster survivors in Surantiah Parak Pisang

The sound of a hammer broke the silence of a humid July morning. Egrets foraged in puddles left by the previous night’s rain, which had softened the roads. In the water-filled tyre tracks, the flow from the irrigation channel remained calm, with rutiang fish gliding between the stones. In a corner of the Graha Bumi Sejahtera housing complex in Korong Surantiah Parak Pisang, Nagari Sungai Buluh Utara, Batang Anai District, Padang Pariaman Regency, West Sumatra, Ronandi (60) was busy installing a door on a small structure beside his house. His home stands at the very back, about 140 metres from the complex gate, far from the other neighbours’ houses. Using wood, planks, and a zinc roof, he built a shelter three metres high with an area of three by two metres. Inside, he has already placed a carpet and an emergency lamp. He plans to add a special compartment to store clothes and food supplies should disaster strike again. The shelter was not built for comfort, but for survival. Ronandi is one of dozens of residents who survived the flash flood that hit the area in November 2025. Of the approximately 27 houses in the complex, two suffered severe damage after their back walls collapsed under the force of the water. Other houses were submerged up to their roofs, leaving behind mud about 60 centimetres deep. From a distance, the roar of vehicles can be heard on the motorway across the Batang Anai River. The river is about 400 metres from the housing complex, but when it overflows, the water still reaches the settlement. The mud in Ronandi’s house was cleaned up long ago. However, the memory of the raging flood has never truly faded. During his time living there, he has experienced flooding three times. “The worst flood was in 2025. The water reached the roof and all our belongings were submerged. But the 2024 flood almost made my wife and I give up because we nearly couldn’t save ourselves,” he said while climbing down from the newly completed shelter. The 2024 flood was indeed not as high as the one a year later. The water level was estimated at around 175 centimetres. However, the flood came just before dawn while rain fell incessantly. While some residents had already evacuated earlier, Ronandi and his wife were still fast asleep. They only woke up when water slammed against the window. As soon as the door was opened, a strong current burst in. Within minutes, the water kept rising. The elderly couple had no time to save anything but themselves. Household furniture began to be swept away by the raging brown current. To avoid the strong flow, they climbed onto the house fence. Ronandi even broke through the roof so they could climb higher if the water continued to rise. The tension lasted until dawn began to break. From the direction of the road, someone was heard shouting, asking if anyone was still inside the house. Ronandi and his wife immediately answered. The young man at the roadside asked if Ronandi had anything that could float to help him cross. The answer was no. They had nothing. Shortly after, the young man decided to swim closer, carrying banana trunks assembled into an emergency float. It was with this simple device that Ronandi and his wife were evacuated to higher ground. They survived. It was this near-death experience that drove Ronandi to build the emergency shelter. His house’s location at the far back of the complex made him worry he would not have time to save himself if a flood came suddenly. That worry has grown because he now lives with his two young grandchildren. In 2025, he had built a two-metre-high shelter, matching the flood level of the previous year. However, the next flood turned out to be much higher. That is why he built a new shelter with a height of three metres. As a survivor, Ronandi admits he can only try to protect his family while waiting for concrete action from the relevant authorities. Behind his resigned attitude, he still holds onto hope that one day his family can live more peacefully.