Three Months On, Thousands of North Sumatra Flood Victims Still in Evacuation Shelters
Three months after the flash floods and landslides that hit several areas in North Sumatra on 25 November 2025, thousands of people are still staying in evacuation shelters.
As of the start of Ramadan 2026, as many as 909 families or 3,506 people have not been able to return to their homes.
Assistant for Governance and Community Welfare, Basarin Yunus Tanjung, said that the North Sumatra Provincial Government is continuing to accelerate the construction of thousands of temporary shelters for flood and landslide victims.
“As many as 1,427 units of temporary shelters are currently being accelerated in various locations in Tapanuli Tengah (Tapteng) and Tapanuli Selatan (Tapsel),” said Basarin, Thursday (26/2).
He said that several temporary shelter locations have been occupied by disaster-affected residents. At the Simarpinggan Field, Angkola Selatan District, there are 186 units; Aek Latong Hamlet, Marsada Village, Sipirok District, as many as 118 units; Adiankoting 40 units; Pinangsori Hajj Dormitory 52 units; Balerong Market Tukka Land 12 units; and Pandan Rusunawa Land as many as 90 units. Meanwhile, a number of other temporary shelter construction sites are still in the completion stage.
“So that with the provision or completion of the construction, everyone will be accommodated in the temporary shelters, hopefully they can live in the temporary shelters during Eid,” said Basarin, who is also the Daily Chairman of the North Sumatra Disaster Response Command Post.
In addition to the construction of temporary shelters, the North Sumatra Provincial Government has also distributed rental assistance to 313 families. The assistance is provided while waiting for the completion of the construction of permanent housing.
“There are still residents who will receive rental assistance. This assistance was initially distributed by the North Sumatra Provincial Government, then continued with a three-month housing waiting fund from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB),” he explained.
Later, residents who are currently occupying the temporary shelters will be relocated to permanent housing, the construction of which is currently underway. The North Sumatra Provincial Government has also completed the Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Plan (R3P).
“In this document, the budget needs for the rehabilitation and reconstruction program are estimated at IDR 30.5 trillion. This program is planned to run from 2026 to 2028,” he said.
The flash floods and landslides that hit the North Sumatra region had a major impact. To date, 376 people have died and 40 others are still missing. Although the large-scale search has been stopped, Basarin ensured that search efforts will continue if there are indications of the victims’ whereabouts.
“To date, there are still 40 people who are missing. Although the massive search has ended, the team will continue to search if signs of the victims are found. Meanwhile, the total number of deaths is recorded at 376 people,” he said.
(fnr/gil)