Aceh: Severe flooding and landslides in Aceh province on Indonesia's Sumatra island over the past week have brought back memories of the devastating tsunami that devastated the region nearly 21 years ago. Effendi Basyaruddin, a 64-year-old fisherman, said the current flooding was more destructive than the 9.1 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck his hometown on December 26, 2004, killing nearly 200,000 people in Aceh province alone. He said he saw waves up to 20 meters high that swept through his village, but today the flooding has turned the entire village into a river, leaving everyone reeling.
According to Thai News Agency, Aceh Governor Musakir Manaf said through tears that it was as if the province was experiencing a second tsunami. Similarly, 45-year-old Acehnese Adi Hermawan, who used tools to dig up mud and debris in the area where his home used to be, said his entire community was completely destroyed, as if it had been hit by a tsunami. The difference is that many victims of floods and landslides are still missing, and searching for them is more difficult than when the tsunami hit.
Heavy rains triggered by a series of tropical cyclones have caused flooding and landslides in three provinces on the island of Sumatra. Aceh alone has claimed more than 200 lives, out of a total of more than 800 in Indonesia. Local community leaders have called on the central government to declare the disaster a national emergency to allow for greater resource mobilization for rescue and relief efforts. However, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said earlier this week that there was no need to declare a national emergency as the situation has improved and sufficient funding has been allocated.