Saleh argued that such a declaration is urgently needed to accelerate recovery efforts, streamline aid distribution, and support evacuation operations.
“What matters now is ensuring that assistance reaches residents quickly. Regional governments have worked hard, but their capacity is limited,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
He emphasized that a national disaster status would enhance coordination between central and local authorities and simplify the mobilization of critical resources, including logistics, rescue teams, and heavy equipment required to reopen access routes and carry out evacuations.
According to Saleh, the basic needs of survivors—such as clean water, healthcare, food, and temporary shelters—are rising sharply as the number of displaced people continues to grow in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
Declaring a national disaster, he added, would help guarantee that these needs are met swiftly and equitably.
He further noted that the hydrometeorological hazards affecting the three provinces reflect the scale of the emergency, with West Sumatra in the most critical condition as nearly all of its districts have been impacted.
The situation, he said, has surpassed the threshold of an ordinary disaster and demands a far more integrated and rapid response, including the large-scale mobilization of resources.
President Prabowo Subianto previously stated that the government is still monitoring developments in several regions before deciding on whether to declare a national disaster emergency.
For now, the government’s priority remains the distribution of aid to affected communities.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that the death toll from the Sumatra floods and landslides had reached 303 people as of Saturday, November 29.
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Translator: Tri Meilani, Raka Adji
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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