The floods that struck Sumatra in December 2025 claimed 1,201 lives, and as of today, 113,672 people remain in evacuation centers.
This was the largest flood in 50 years, affecting three provinces in Sumatra: Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
The area most severely affected by the floods was Aceh. It's no surprise that Aceh also suffered the highest number of fatalities. Not only were there casualties, but many buildings, homes, offices, and even cars were also affected by the floods.
Salah satu kabupaten yang parah terdampak banjir di Aceh adalah Kabupaten Aceh Tamiang. Ketika saya melintasi Aceh Tamiang, awal Januari 2026 lalu, bekas-bekas kehancuran akibat terjangan banjir masih terlihat.
Debu-debu beterbangan. Aroma lumpur yang sudah membusuk bercampur dengan aroma busuk yang muncul dari berbagai material yang dibawa banjir. Ketika membuka kaca mobil dan turun, segera terasa suasana yang tidak menyehatkan.
Tidak heran kalau ada beberapa kawan saya yang menjadi relawan, jatuh sakit sepulang dari Aceh Tamiang.
On the side of the road, I still saw the wrecks of cars sitting motionless. They were covered in dust, having been left to sit there for almost two months.
It had rained several times in Aceh Tamiang. However, the rain hadn't made the wrecks any cleaner. On the contrary, the water clinging to the cars' bodies only made the dust stick even thicker.
They were in the wrong place. The mud left by the flood was too thick to be cleared by rain or human labor.
It may take a long, heavy spray of water to remove the mud brought by the flood. In some places, the mud can only be removed by heavy equipment.
The number of car wrecks on the roadside is not as numerous as when I saw them at the end of last December. Back then, the wrecks scattered across the road disrupted traffic flow. Many have now been removed.
Shooting in a location like the one I described above was certainly not easy. I couldn't stay long, and besides the dust, I had difficulty finding a parking spot at certain points.
If I parked carelessly, it would disrupt traffic.
I deliberately didn't make some of the photos here black and white to show the true colors. Some photos look foggy, but that's actually flying dust.
Thank you for your support. All the difficulties of being in the field seem less burdensome with your support.
