SUMATERA — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto affirmed the state’s concrete presence in all aspects of the response to the floods and landslides that have hit several areas in Sumatra since late 2025.
The government is moving quickly to ensure that recovery is coordinated, measured, and sustainable for the affected communities in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
President Prabowo demonstrated this commitment through direct visits to the disaster sites, including spending New Year’s Eve with evacuees in Batu Hula Village, South Tapanuli.
This step demonstrates the state’s commitment and ensures optimal coordination across ministries, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the Indonesian National Police (Polri), and local governments to ensure that no residents are isolated.
Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi stated that the President is paying close attention to accelerating recovery in affected areas.
“Essentially, he wants to ensure that the recovery process can be carried out as quickly as possible, and if there are obstacles, we will find solutions together,” Prasetyo said.
“One of them is a request for the immediate normalization of all affected areas,” he added.
The government is prioritizing housing construction and the restoration of public facilities.
As of early January 2026, construction of temporary housing units in Aceh had reached approximately 600 out of a total planned 15,000 units for the three affected provinces.
The President also ensured that schools and community health centers would be immediately re-operated to ensure basic public services continued.
Regarding long-term mitigation, President Prabowo approved the formation of the Kuala Task Force, which will focus on dredging shallow rivers and treating muddy water into clean water.
Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin explained the strategy to the President.
“We and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) have a concern regarding the Tamiang River, for example, which is currently experiencing shallowing,” Sjafrie said.
“This is a major effort that we must undertake,” he added.
President Prabowo emphasized that the government will not hesitate to provide additional funding for this large-scale operation.
“Initially, we proposed Rp51 trillion, and I’ve committed to Rp60 trillion. Whatever we need,” said the President.
Regarding the disaster status, the government views the situation as very serious, although it hasn’t declared it a national disaster.
“If we, as a nation, as a country, are capable of dealing with this situation in these three provinces, then we don’t need to declare a national disaster,” said Prabowo.
“We take this very seriously. And we will do everything we can to help,” he emphasized.
This series of steps confirms the state’s full presence in ensuring the safety, recovery, and future of the people of Sumatra after the disaster.
