Emergency Aid for Flood Survivors in Sumatra, Indonesia
Peace Winds is providing urgent relief for the hardest-hit communities in Sumatra, Indonesia after torrential rains triggered devastating floods and landslides on the island early last month. A series of disasters like this one struck Southeast Asia at the end of the year, overwhelming response teams and impacting millions of people across the region.
More than 1,100 people have been killed in Sumatra, and about 500,000 are living in evacuation shelters. Many of them are still awaiting humanitarian aid one month later. Damage to roads, along with a shortage of supplies, has made it difficult to get help to those who need it.
A Peace Winds team arrived on the ground in Sumatra shortly after the disaster, and staff immediately began working with local partners and assessing survivors’ needs. On December 17, in cooperation with a local partner organization, the team was able to enter the hard-hit Aceh Tamiang Regency–a region of Sumatra’s northernmost Aceh province. They delivered food kits and emergency supplies.
Staff were greeted by mountains of rubble and piles of fallen trees. In addition to basics like food and water being in short supply, there is little support for recovery work such as clearing debris or providing shelter. Many people sleep among the debris, huddling together in small, makeshift tents.
Other areas are still covered in a knee-deep layer of mud. Because heavy machinery is limited, residents have taken on the monumental task of slowly clearing out the mud with shovels and other household tools.
Having spent a month living in harsh conditions without their basic needs met, the hardship these survivors face is immeasurable. Still, they welcomed Peace Winds staff with smiles and gratitude when the team met them with boxes of supplies. Our team members were moved by survivors’ kindness even in the face of such hardship.
The Peace Winds team also delivered additional supplies alongside local partners in Central Tapanuli Regency, on the west coast. Along the way, they saw the aftermath of landslides that had destroyed homes and roads, and they were surprised by the wide variety in terms of damage and needs in each area, despite all of it being caused by the same storm.
We will continue to provide flexible support as the situation changes.
