Steps Toward Recovery in Indonesian Communities Devastated by Flooding
Peace Winds has been providing relief in Sumatra, Indonesia since a series of floods devastated communities there last December. Most recently, our teams and local partners delivered much-needed supplies to six of the hardest-hit villages in the island’s northernmost Aceh Province.
The Bireuen district was hit particularly hard. Homes and buildings were left covered in a layer of mud, water supplies were damaged or contaminated, and crops were destroyed. To make matters worse, severe damage to roads and bridges made it nearly impossible to get aid to the villages until a month later.
“I was able to come [to Bireuen] on January 8th,” a staff member from Peace Winds’ local partner organization, YAKKUM Emergency Unit, recalled. “Before that, we couldn’t get here because the bridge had been destroyed. It was an unbelievable sight to see all the houses submerged in the floodwaters. At the time, people were displaced, cooking rice with river water and boiling it to use as drinking water. But they really wanted to return to their homes, and we felt that we should do whatever we could to help them fulfill that wish.”
Peace Winds and our local partners met with survivors as soon as we were able, and staff delivered emergency supplies according to what was needed most. This included bottled water; hygiene supplies like soap, towels, toothbrushes, and toothpaste; bedding; and tools to help families clear mud, sand, and rubble from their homes.
Peace Winds staff meet with villagers (left) and prepare water for distribution (right)
As we distributed the items, we received many words of gratitude as well as heartfelt stories of what survivors had been through. One woman had been boiling well water and rainwater for two months out of concern for contamination. “I’m so happy I can drink safe water,” she said.
Others were especially grateful to receive the hygiene kits. In one village, 80% of families rely on rice farming to earn a living. But when fields were destroyed and income was cut off, many were left unable to afford even soap or toothbrushes.
Although survivors are still far from getting back to their “normal” lives, these joyful moments reaffirm our commitment to helping them recover. We are prioritizing connections like these as we continue to support flood-affected communities in Sumatra.