Calls for an Indonesia national disaster status grow as lawmakers warn that local resources are overwhelmed by the escalating Sumatra flood crisis.
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| Residents clear thick mud from the entrance of a flooded home after flash floods hit Meureudu, Pidie Jaya district in Indonesia’s Aceh province on November 28, 2025. Photo by Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP Getty Images |
Indonesian lawmakers are increasingly calling for an Indonesia national disaster status as flooding and landslides across Sumatra continue to intensify, overwhelming regional authorities and complicating ongoing emergency operations. With hundreds of lives already lost and tens of thousands of residents displaced, momentum is building for a nationwide response framework that would accelerate aid, strengthen coordination, and ensure the government can mobilize the resources needed to confront one of the deadliest natural disasters of the year. The demand for an Indonesia national disaster status is emerging as the central focus of political and humanitarian debate, reflecting a growing consensus that the crisis has reached far beyond the scope of regional capabilities.
Rahmat Saleh, a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR), said over the weekend that the time has come for the government to make a decisive move by issuing a national disaster declaration. According to him, the scale of the catastrophe and the rapid deterioration of conditions in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra require a stronger, more integrated response framework than what local governments can provide.
He noted that regional authorities have worked tirelessly since the initial flooding and landslides struck, but even their most dedicated efforts cannot compensate for the depletion of resources, logistical bottlenecks, and limited operational reach in remote districts. For this reason, he argued that only an Indonesia national disaster status can ensure that assistance is delivered swiftly and equitably to all affected communities.
Saleh stressed that what matters most at this stage is not administrative debates but the ability to reach survivors with essential supplies. He explained that relief items such as food, clean water, medical services, and temporary shelters must be distributed without delay, especially as the number of displaced families continues to grow. He added that a national disaster status would allow broader mobilization of heavy machinery, rescue personnel, and transport units needed to reopen blocked roads and restore access to isolated villages.
Official assessments indicate that the humanitarian crisis is expanding rapidly, with thousands of homes destroyed, key infrastructures damaged, and multiple districts experiencing prolonged isolation. Local governments in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra have faced persistent challenges in coordinating relief due to washed-out highways, collapsed bridges, and unstable slopes that continue to shift because of saturated soils.
Saleh emphasized that the hydrometeorological conditions affecting the region illustrate the extraordinary severity of the disaster. In his view, West Sumatra is in particularly critical condition because nearly all of its districts are facing some level of disruption, whether from flash floods, deep landslides, or river overflows. He argued that the scale of damage clearly surpasses the threshold of an ordinary disaster and therefore demands the large-scale mobilization of national resources.
He also noted that a national disaster declaration would enable uniform, fast-tracked coordination across ministries, military units, humanitarian agencies, and regional disaster offices. According to him, streamlined command structures are essential to avoid overlapping directives, logistical congestion, or the misallocation of aid in regions where operational demands are changing from hour to hour.
President Prabowo Subianto, in comments earlier this week, said that the government continues to monitor developments across flood-hit provinces to determine whether the criteria for an Indonesia national disaster status have been met. He explained that such a decision must be based on comprehensive data, regional conditions, and the capacity of local governments to sustain their emergency actions.
For now, he maintained that national and regional agencies are prioritizing the rapid distribution of essential aid, including temporary shelters, medical support, and daily necessities. Emergency units from the military, police, and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) have been deployed, although access challenges still limit operations in certain areas.
Despite these efforts, pressure continues to mount from lawmakers, civil society groups, and humanitarian observers who argue that delays in declaring a national disaster may lead to longer recovery times and impede the efficiency of current operations. For many, the ongoing expansion of the humanitarian emergency signals an urgent need for a nationwide framework that can mobilize national budgets, activate broader disaster-relief regulations, and open the door to international assistance if required.
The BNPB reported that the death toll from the Sumatra floods and landslides had reached 303 people as of Saturday, November 29. Hundreds more remain missing across multiple districts, and the number of evacuees has surged as communities flee unstable terrain and rising waters. Current estimates suggest that tens of thousands of residents remain in temporary shelters, many lacking adequate access to sanitation, clean water, and health care.
Rescue operations continue to face significant obstacles. In remote valleys, landslides have buried entire road sections, forcing emergency workers to trek on foot for several hours to reach certain villages. Helicopter access is limited due to weather conditions that remain volatile, with intermittent heavy rainfall reducing visibility and complicating aerial operations.
In Aceh, several villages remain cut off due to collapsed bridges, leaving many survivors dependent on air-dropped supplies. North Sumatra has reported extensive damage to farmlands and fishery assets, threatening long-term livelihoods for thousands of families. In West Sumatra, authorities are still assessing damage in areas where communication lines were severed during the peak of the flooding.
Why national disaster status matters now
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| Rescue personnel evacuate an ill villager on a raft to be taken to the nearest hospital in Bireuen, Aceh province, on November 29, 2025, after flash floods and landslides struck northern Sumatra. Photo by Amanda Jufrian/AFP/Getty Images |
Disaster management experts argue that declaring a nationwide emergency is not merely symbolic. Legally, an Indonesia national disaster status allows the government to bypass certain administrative procedures, enabling faster procurement of logistics, more rapid deployment of military units, and immediate access to specialized equipment such as mobile water treatment units and portable field hospitals.
It also allows national agencies to coordinate more effectively with international partners should the government request global assistance. With the current scale of destruction, some analysts predict that foreign aid may be needed for reconstruction, particularly in the hardest-hit regions where community infrastructure has been extensively damaged.
Moreover, a national disaster declaration would likely improve data integration between agencies. Currently, information on missing persons, damage assessments, and supply chain bottlenecks is compiled by multiple teams, which can lead to inconsistencies and delays. A centralized command structure would streamline the flow of data, enabling more precise and faster responses.
Despite growing political momentum, some government officials remain cautious about rushing the process. They argue that declaring a national disaster must be based on verified and complete assessments from local governments and field teams. However, critics contend that waiting for perfect data in an evolving crisis may hinder urgently needed interventions.
For now, the government’s main priority remains short-term emergency relief. Yet as conditions continue to deteriorate, the debate surrounding an Indonesia national disaster status is likely to intensify, especially if casualty numbers rise or if regional authorities report increasing difficulties in sustaining operations without additional support.
