Sumatra post-disaster: Hope grows in shelters after devastating floods
Gradually, residents have begun to rise from the adversity that hit their hometown. However, the shadow and memory of the devastating floodwaters remain etched in their minds.
Pesmi Ermi, a resident of the temporary shelter built at an elementary school SD Negeri 05 Kayu Pasak, Salareh Aia Village, Palembayan Sub-district, Agam District, West Sumatra, has experienced the same ordeal. The elderly mother of four is still grieving.
The loss of property or livelihood is not the reason she often feels withdrawn. Her sorrow stems from having to accept the bitter reality that during this year’s Ramadan, she can no longer share sahur and iftar meals with her daughter, who was swept away by flash floods in late November 2025.
Recalling it, she said, brought deep sadness. Her second child had just been married for three months before the disaster struck. Her grief deepened as her daughter’s passing was accompanied by the loss of her unborn grandchild, who was three months in the womb.
The woman, whose husband is from Madura, East Java, realises that it is very hard to pretend to be happy amid post-disaster conditions.
“In the early days at the shelter, I often sat in silence and suddenly cried remembering my daughter, who was three months pregnant, being swept away by the flash floods,” she recalled.
Ramadan comes
Ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, Ermi, who is a Quran study teacher at an Al Quran education park in Salareh Aia Village, has been slowly trying to recover.
She said she keeps herself busy to dispel memories that frequently cross her mind. At one point, she thought about starting a business at the shelter where she now lives.
Running a business is not something new for Ermi and her husband, Suparmanto. The couple has been trading for years. Now, she restarted the economic activity from scratch by selling various daily necessities, such as snacks, LPG gas, tubers, smoked catfish, canned drinks, nuts, and others.
“Initially, I started trading at the shelter to relieve stress, but I realise this is also to finance my children’s education,” she said.
For initial capital, she used her savings and some money sent by relatives from Java. Although her sales were not as large as before the disaster, the income has encouraged her to rise again.
At the beginning of her business, she and her husband went to Bawan area, Ampek Nagari Sub-district, to buy a coconut grater machine, considering no resident was selling grated coconut at the shelter.
Besides keeping busy, trading helps meet daily needs and finance her children, one of whom is in junior high school and another studying at a state university in Padang City.
She said that she understands that if she only relies on assistance from others or the government, her dream of making her children successful will never come true.
Not only enthusiastic about running a small grocery business, the woman was also eager to welcome the Ramadan month.
She and her husband even took time to watch the Isbat Session held by the Ministry of Religious Affairs on Tuesday (February 18) evening on television.
Ermi said she felt happy to welcome Ramadan, although she never expected to observe the fasting at the shelter without her daughter, who was a victim of the flash floods.
“Perhaps this is a test from God. We must be patient and strong in facing it,” she said.
Similarly, Evi, a trader and resident of the SD Negeri 05 Kayu Pasak temporary shelter, said she has been selling goods for the past 10 days. She and her husband decided to withdraw Rp6 million (around US$355) to Rp7 million (around US$414) from their savings as business capital.
“Before the disaster, we were already selling daily necessities. Now, since living in the shelter, we have resumed trading to meet our daily needs,” she said.
For Evi, surrendering to circumstances is not a choice. Although she said she is still traumatised by the disaster at the end of last year, life goes on and must be fought for.
The struggle of Pesmi and Evi in running businesses at the shelter not only teaches about spirit and perseverance. More than that, what they are doing reaffirms that the trading spirit of the Minangkabau people never fades, even amid sorrow.
The SD Negeri 05 Kayu Pasak shelter in Palembayan Sub-district was inaugurated by Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno along with Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian on January 24, 2026.
In the area, the government has built 117 temporary shelters to accelerate post-disaster recovery.