JAKARTA - Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto said flood-hit areas of Sumatra could return to normal activity within two to three months after cyclone-driven floods and landslides killed more than 1,000 people and displaced many others in late November. 

Speaking during a cabinet meeting in Jakarta on Monday, 15 December, Subianto added that conditions in flood-hit areas of Sumatra were “under control” and Indonesia did not need foreign assistance despite offers of help from other countries.

According to Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB), the death toll has reached 1,030, with more than 200 people still missing, while hundreds of homes were destroyed across three provinces: Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.

Millions of residents were affected across dozens of districts, with hundreds of thousands forced into temporary evacuation sites as homes, roads, bridges, schools, and health facilities were damaged or destroyed.

Prabowo mentioned that reconstruction was already under way and acknowledged it could not be completed quickly, with the government planning to build temporary housing for displaced residents. He said any company found to have violated environmental rules should have its permit revoked. Officials have estimated reconstruction costs at at least $3.11 billion.

However, despite Jakarta’s reluctance in welcoming foreign aid, residents in parts of Aceh have been flying white flags along roads as a symbol of desperation and urgent need for aid after deadly floods. Civil groups have been urging the government to declare a national disaster in response to what they describe as slow relief efforts. 

Amnesty International Indonesia’s executive director Usman Hamid urged the government to declare a national emergency over the Sumatra floods to speed up evacuations and aid delivery. He said that the scale of the disaster and environmental degradation warranted broader mobilisation of resources.