DPR Supports Aceh Governor Extending Emergency Response Period: There Are Still Many Isolated Areas

JAKARTA - Member of Commission V DPR, Irmawan supports the Aceh Provincial Government's move to officially extend the emergency response period for floods and landslides for 14 days, from 12-25 December 2025. According to him, this extension is a realistic step considering that there are still many isolated areas due to national road access and district roads that have been damaged by floods and landslides.

He revealed that until now the conditions in the field have not been fully handled so that the distribution of aid and the evacuation process cannot run optimally.

"The decision of the Governor of Aceh to extend the emergency response period shows that the situation in the field is still very difficult. Many affected areas cannot be reached yet," Irmawan told reporters, Friday, December 12.

"Therefore, we ask the central government to accelerate the entire post-disaster recovery process in Aceh," he continued.

The PKB legislator from the Aceh electoral district explained that until now the process of searching for victims has not been completed. He said that the hardening mud and access were difficult to make evacuation efforts take place more slowly.

Based on the emergency handling dashboard for Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra floods, BNPB as of today at 13.00 WIB, 212 people have not been found, 990 people have died, and 5,400 people have been injured.

The extension of the emergency response period is crucial to increase search and rescue time. We hope that all victims who have not been found can be immediately reached by the SAR team," explained Irmawan.

In addition to evacuation, Irmawan emphasized the importance of ensuring the fulfillment of basic needs of the community, especially vulnerable groups such as women, children, disabilities, and the elderly. According to him, reports from the field show that food distribution, clean water, medicines, and other logistics are still hampered.

"The distribution of food has not reached 100 percent. Many national roads and inter-district routes are still cut, making it difficult to distribute aid. The government must ensure that the basic needs of the community are truly met during the emergency period," he said.

The member of the infrastructure commission also asked the government to immediately repair the affected vital facilities and infrastructure such as bridges, access roads, and clean water services to be carried out in parallel during the emergency response period so that the recovery does not drag on.

"We hope that all parties unite to accelerate the recovery of Aceh. Affected communities should not wait too long. With this extension of the emergency response period, all handling processes must be accelerated," said Irmawan.