“Now we don’t know where to live; our house is gone. Please help us, even with a simple shelter,” said one survivor, Sulamunhadi (51), in Bireuen on Sunday.
He conveyed his plea from his evacuation tent shortly after President Prabowo visited the area and distributed aid to displaced residents.
At the evacuation site, Prabowo greeted evacuees and even sampled the simple meal served in the tent, which consisted of fried fish.
Sulamunhadi said his house, once standing on the bank of the Teupin Mane River, is now only a memory—marked by a single remaining pillar, with the rest swept away by the flood.
He recalled that on Tuesday afternoon, 25 November, he saw the river begin to rise as heavy rain pounded the area, unaware that a landslide had also occurred upstream.
The next morning, he noticed his neighbor’s house had vanished; only his remained, though already tilting as the river continued to erode the banks.
“I went to the back and saw my land being washed away beneath me,” he said.
He rushed inside and managed to save only one item—a refrigerator—before the house leaned further, forcing him to flee. Moments later, it collapsed and was carried away by the current.
“We hope the government and the President can help us. The land is gone too; only our documents remain,” he said.
Another survivor, Jasmani, also lost nearly all of his family’s homes in the disaster.
“We no longer have a house; everything is gone. Only the clothes on our backs remain,” he said.
He expressed hope that President Prabowo would help them regain a proper place to live, along with other families who lost their homes.
Responding to the survivors’ concerns about their lost homes and land, President Prabowo pledged assistance. “We will rebuild. We will help; the budget is prepared,” he affirmed.
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Translator: Rahmat, Kenzu
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
