DPD members from West Sumatra Irman Gusman urged the central government to immediately determine the status of the national disaster following the major flash floods and landslides that occurred in West Sumatra, North Sumatra, and Aceh.
Irman said the scale of damage in the three provinces had paralyzed the lives of residents, damaged vital infrastructure, and cut off land, sea and air transportation access.
The rate of destruction that occurs, according to him, goes far beyond the ability of local governments to deal with it without full intervention from the central government.
The call was conveyed by Irman after thebatal flew to Padang due to various accesses that were originally to be visited in West Sumatra, disrupted by extreme weather and infrastructure damage.
He said the cancellation of departure occurred just hours before the flight schedule on Friday (28/11) at dawn.
"The situation in West Sumatra is really an emergency. This is no longer an ordinary disaster. The state must be present as quickly and firmly as possible," he said as quoted by ANTARA.
Irman emphasized that the current condition of West Sumatra, North Sumatra, and Aceh is a tangible reflection of how isolated the affected areas are.
Irman is actually scheduled to carry out a series of humanitarian agendas, including reviewing disaster victims in Batu Busuk, Padang City and several other affected points.
"I want to ensure that the community is handled, logistics are distributed, and local governments do not work alone to face a crisis of this magnitude," he said while adding that his team in West Sumatra had been working several days to distribute humanitarian aid in a number of places.
Furthermore, Irman said that this disaster also had a major impact on various community activities. The ceremony for the awarding of the title of National Hero Rahmah El Yunusiah at the Diniyah Puteri Padangpanjang Islamic Boarding School which was originally scheduled to be held on Saturday today had to be postponed by the committee.
Likewise, the Midang Geopark Run 2025 in Bukittinggi which is scheduled to take place on Sunday (30/11) was also postponed due to emergency conditions and considerations for participant safety.
According to Irman, the postponement of a number of large agendas further confirms that disasters have reached a crisis level. Thousands of residents evacuate, logistical access is cut off, and the potential for casualties may still increase. For this reason, he assessed that the acceleration of handling could no longer rely solely on local government capacity.
"Determination of National Disaster status is an entry point so that all state strengths, BNPB, TNI, Polri, related ministries to international support if needed can be mobilized in full," he explained.
Irman continued that people in West Sumatra, North Sumatra, and Aceh are now facing severe psychological pressure due to floods, landslides, loss of property, and shelter.
"This nation should not wait for more victims. We need to move quickly. Every hour is very meaningful," said Irman.
Regarding the disaster, Irman has also sent a letter requesting humanitarian assistance to the Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman number 015/IG-DPDRI/XI/2025 on Thursday (27/11).
In his letter, Irman described the disaster situation that occurred in Minang which covered 13 districts/cities and asked the Minister of Agriculture to assist and ensure the availability of basic needs during the emergency response in West Sumatra.
"Alhamdulillah, the Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman has announced that his party will immediately distribute rice and cooking oil to the three provinces that have been hit by a disaster. For West Sumatra itself, there are 6,700 tons of rice and 1,300 tons of cooking oil that will be distributed," he said.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
