The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) delivered the emergency response aid via cargo plane from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta to Silangit Airport in North Tapanuli, North Sumatra, on Friday (November 28).
The Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center, Abdul Muhari, on Friday, informed that all aid would be immediately unpacked and prepared for further distribution, both by land and by air using helicopters, to ensure a swift and targeted emergency response.
He detailed that the logistical aid was distributed to affected areas, starting in Sibolga City, with 200 basic food packages, 200 pouches of ready-to-eat meals, one refugee tent, 100 mattresses, 20 velbeds, 100 blankets, one 6-HP Alcon pump, one generator, and one polyethylene boat with an engine.
Aid with similar details was also allocated to the districts of Central Tapanuli, South Tapanuli, and Mandailing Natal.
Meanwhile, the North Tapanuli Logistics Agency (Banlogpal) received 200 basic food packages, 200 pouches of ready-to-eat meals, one refugee tent, 100 mattresses, 20 velbeds, and 100 blankets.
For Gunung Sitoli City and South Nias District, each region received 200 basic food packages, 200 pouches of ready-to-eat meals, one refugee tent, 100 mattresses, 20 velbeds, and 100 blankets.
In the second phase of aid distribution, additional logistics were sent specifically to Sibolga City and Central Tapanuli District. Each region received one Starlink internet satellite device to support emergency communications, one portable light tower, five refugee tents, 100 family tents, 20 sets of field kitchen equipment, 10 chainsaws, and 10 toolkits, Muhari detailed.
The agency also distributed 500 blankets, 100 velbeds, 300 mattresses, 300 folding mattresses, five refugee tents, 300 basic food packages, 300 ready-to-eat meals, and 300 hygiene kits to support field operations.
Through this aid delivery, BNPB ensures emergency operations in North Sumatra run effectively and that all government bodies are on alert to support faster community recovery.
Preliminary data from the BNPB reported that as of Friday evening, a total of 116 people had died and 42 people were missing in North Sumatra.
The victims were spread across several regions, including North Tapanuli (11), Central Tapanuli (51), South Tapanuli (32), Sibolga City (17), Humbang Hasundutan (6), Padang Sidempuan City (1), and Pakpak Bharat (2). No fatalities were reported in Mandailing Natal.
Infrastructure damage also disrupted transportation in South Tapanuli, shutting down the Sidempuan–Sibolga national route and cutting the Sipirok–Medan route at two locations.
In Mandailing Natal, several roads, including Singkuang-Tabuyung and Bulu Soma-Sopotinjak, were cut off due to flooding and landslides.
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Translator: Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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