Floods and landslides on Sumatra

After extreme rainfall, massive flash floods and landslides have devastated large parts of Sumatra. The regions of Tapanuli Raya and Aceh as well as the Nias Islands have been particularly affected. According to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), at least 604 people have been killed, hundreds injured and many are still missing. Thousands of families have been forced to leave their homes.

Tropical storms 95B and KOTO exacerbated the already critical weather conditions. Due to widespread deforestation in the region, the soil was unable to absorb the enormous amounts of water in many places. The consequences are destroyed residential areas, blocked transport routes, power outages and damaged communication networks. In some areas, aid is currently only possible by air. A total of thirteen districts and cities have been declared disaster areas.