Six days since floods hit a number of areas in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra on November 26 2025, Central Aceh Regency is still isolated from the surrounding areas.
The cut off of road access to the area that stretches in the middle of aceh province has meant that stocks of basic commodities are increasingly running low.
In the midst of this chaos, several looting occurred in Central Aceh. There was also a commotion between residents who were queuing to buy rice at the market in Takengon City.
Journalist Iwan Bahagia reporting for BBC News Indonesia said that four waves of aid had been distributed to disaster victims in Central Aceh, via Rembele Airport which is located in the neighboring district, Bener Meriah.
One of them was 13 tons of rice distributed by the Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, on Monday (1/12).Iwan, a resident of Central Aceh, is worried that the situation will get worse “if there is no certainty from the government for 2-3 days about food availability.”
“Basic food stocks are limited, they only last 2-3 days,” said Iwan.
Aceh Disaster: 22 Dead, 23 Missing After Floods and Landslides
Table of Contents
- Aceh Disaster: 22 Dead, 23 Missing After Floods and Landslides
- Aceh Flood Leaves Residents Stranded, Facing Shortages and Unconfirmed Losses
- Indonesia Aceh Floods: food and Fuel Shortages Worsen
- Food stocks are running low
- Stories of residents walking on foot carrying heavily pregnant women
- Minimarket Looting
Severe floods and landslides have devastated parts of Aceh province, Indonesia, leaving 22 people dead and 23 others missing.The disaster has forced 37,129 residents to flee their homes, with 2,218 houses damaged.
Transportation has been severely impacted,with six provincial roads and 59 district roads broken,effectively cutting off access to affected areas. “Transportation was totally cut off,” reported Iwan, a resident of Central Aceh, adding that cellular and internet networks are fluctuating.
evacuations are underway, with residents and students being flown out of Rembele Airport in Bener Meriah Regency, as seen in recent images. Residents in Banda Aceh with family in the affected regions are anxiously awaiting news.
Aceh Flood Leaves Residents Stranded, Facing Shortages and Unconfirmed Losses
The recent floods and landslides in Central Aceh, Indonesia, have left residents cut off, anxious about their loved ones, and facing critical shortages of essential supplies. Yudha, a resident speaking to BBC News Indonesia, expressed his distress, stating, “I don’t know [the condition of my grandmother]. I’m also anxious, because the house is gone.” He described speaking with a trembling voice, overwhelmed by the situation and unable to reach family members due to blocked roads.
Details circulating on social media has only heightened the panic, with reports of dwindling resources. “ThereS no rice, basic necessities [sembilan bahan pokok] empty. I’m worried about the families there,” Yudha added.
The difficulty of access was further highlighted by Triadi Rizky Rifananda, a Banda Aceh resident who was working in central Aceh when the disaster struck. Attempting to evacuate, he and colleagues encountered at least 20 landslides. He described a particularly devastating scene in Buntul,where an entire village appeared to have been swept away,stating,”the village on top of the mountain has gone down. A lot has been lost.”
The situation is so dire that residents have urged those attempting evacuations to proceed with caution. Triadi recounted being told, “If you find a body, just leave it alone… [evacuate] then we will be responsible.” This underscores the overwhelming scale of the tragedy and the local community’s immediate focus on survival and managing the aftermath.
Indonesia Aceh Floods: food and Fuel Shortages Worsen
Severe flooding in the Aceh province of Indonesia is causing widespread disruption, with communities facing shortages of food and fuel. Roads and bridges have been washed away, cutting off access to many areas and hindering aid efforts.
The situation is particularly dire in Central Aceh, where access remains severely limited. Reports indicate that food supplies are dwindling, and prices are soaring as an inevitable result. “the price of rice has increased dramatically,” said a resident of Banda Aceh, triadi Rizky Rifananda, who managed to leave the affected area. “It’s difficult to find basic necessities.”
Not only food, fuel oil is also running low in Central Aceh due to the damaged infrastructure. Journalist Iwan Bahagia,reporting from the region,described queues for fuel stretching for kilometers. A police officer in Takengon, Central Aceh, who identified himself as Saka, confirmed the scarcity.
The Beutong Ateuh Banggalang Bridge in Nagan Raya has been substantially damaged by the flash floods, further exacerbating the transportation challenges. Aerial photos reveal the extent of the devastation, with numerous bridges and roads rendered impassable.
Food stocks are running low
Termination of land routes and depletion of fuel stocks in Central Aceh has hampered food distribution. As a result, food stocks are running low.
Journalist Iwan Bahagia reported that there was a commotion between residents at one of the staple food stalls on Tuesday (2/12) afternoon, when they fought over rice stocks. Due to low rice stocks, each person is only allowed to buy two glasses of rice.
A central Aceh resident named Iwan added that food stocks were indeed running low as we entered the sixth day after the disaster. Iwan admitted that he only had five kilograms of rice left to provide for his wife and three children.
“It’s hard to find basic necessities on the market, [mengandalkan] “let’s keep each stock at home,” said iwan.
Stories of residents walking on foot carrying heavily pregnant women
Floods and landslides in Central Aceh Regency have made it difficult for some residents to access health facilities.
Two residents in Kenawat Village who were heavily pregnant, for example, had to be helped by other residents to get to the nearest hospital.
The village is located on the edge of Lake Lut Air Tawar. They live in refugee camps.
almost simultaneously, both of them experienced contractions, but the road access to the hospital was blocked by floods and landslides.
Local residents then took the initiative to make stretchers.
They then carried the two women on a 10km walk to the nearest hospital.
Around 50 residents took turns carrying the two women.
Minimarket Looting
In the midst of these various limitations, looting of several minimarkets occurred in Central Aceh. One incident took place on November 1, 2025, when a minimarket in Kutenireje Village, Lut Tawar District, was looted by a group of people.
There was also an attempt to loot another minimarket located near Datu Beru Regional Hospital in Takengon, during the evening.