Reviewing Housing, Schools and Sabo Dam: Gibran's Working Visit Approach Deemed On Target

Residents’ housing was not the only point inspected by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka during his visit to the post-disaster recovery area in North Sumatra on Friday (4 September 2026).

The Vice President’s series of engagements also covered educational facilities, the Garoga Bridge and the Hutanabolon Sabo Dam. These points represent different needs, ranging from places to live, community connectivity and education, to mitigation against future disaster risks.

This approach received a positive assessment from Universitas Sumatra Utara academic Dr Wahyu Ario Pratomo.

“I actually consider the Vice President’s series of visits, covering housing, schools, the Garoga 2 Bridge and the Hutanabolon Sabo Dam, to show a direction of approach that is on target,” said Wahyu in a written statement on Monday (7 September 2026).

According to Wahyu, a disaster does not only impact one sector. Damage to housing can occur alongside disruption to roads, schools, health facilities, economic activity and people’s sources of income. For that reason, he said, recovery cannot be carried out separately.

“The government cannot simply restore conditions to how they were before the disaster. The government must reduce the level of communities’ risk to the next disaster,” Wahyu added.

Wahyu views recovery as something that must be seen as a single system. Housing, infrastructure, education, health, the economy, social protection, the environment and disaster mitigation all need to be placed within one regional recovery framework.