West Aceh Regent: Letter 'Unable To Handle Disasters' Asked By BNPB As A Requirement To Get Assistance

West Aceh Regent, Tarmizi. (ANTARA/Teuku Dedi Iskandar)

ACEH BARAT West Aceh Regent, Tarmizi, explained that the letter he signed at the end of November 2025 regarding the statement that the local government's inability to deal with disasters was a request from a disaster management agency as a condition for obtaining logistical assistance.

"The letter was asked as a condition for obtaining logistical assistance from BNPB," said Tarmizi in Meulaboh, Antara, Monday, December 8 after the preparedness rally faced the potential shortage of fuel and LPG gas in West Aceh Regency.

The disaster management agency asked West Aceh Regency to send the letter so that it could get logistical assistance for victims of flash floods that occurred on Wednesday, November 26, 2025. Without this letter, assistance cannot be provided.

According to Tarmizi, in fact, local governments are able to handle disasters at the emergency response stage. The Regency Government together with Forkopimda deployed personnel to assist residents in 10 sub-districts, including cleaning roads covered with wood and mud, as well as cleaning public facilities.

Officers also broke through the Remote Indigenous Community (KAT) area of Sikundo, which is still isolated due to road damage after the flash flood and confined 40 families.

Tarmizi emphasized that local governments are not unable to handle disasters, but do not have the budget capacity to repair all infrastructure damaged by flash floods.

Until now, the losses due to the disaster are estimated at more than Rp. 203 billion. Floods damaged various public facilities and facilities such as roads, bridges, suspension bridges, schools, Islamic boarding schools, educational institutions, and hundreds of houses.

The West Aceh Regency Government continues to distribute aid to affected communities and has established public kitchens at disaster sites to ensure that residents' food needs are met during the emergency response period.

“Kalau untuk pembersihan lokasi banjir dan pengiriman bantuan, kita mampu. Tapi untuk memperbaiki kerusakan pasca-bencana jelas tidak mampu. Daerah tidak punya kemampuan anggaran sebesar itu, Rp 203 miliar itu sangat besar,” ujar Tarmizi.

- https://voi.id/berita/540153/air-belum-surut-rindu-pulang-kisah-para-lansia-bertahan-di-pengungsian-serdang-bedagai

- https://voi.id/berita/540146/kemendagri-desak-aceh-segera-cairkan-dana-btt-keselamatan-rakyat-adalah-hukum-tertinggi

- https://voi.id/berita/539798/kayu-berserakan-di-banjir-sumbar-wakapolri-sebut-tim-penyelidik-aktivitas-penebangan-liar-sudah-dibentuk

- https://voi.id/berita/539788/anggota-dpr-sebut-kaltim-berpotensi-banjir-seperti-sumatera-ada-1-700-lubang-tambang-yang-belum-direklamasi

[/see_also]

"When it comes to cleaning flood locations and sending aid, we can afford it. But to repair post-disaster damage it is clearly not capable. Regions do not have such a large budget capacity, Rp 203 billion is very large," said Tarmizi.