The president is scheduled to oversee emergency relief efforts in North Tapanuli, one of the regions most affected by the monsoon rains that caused severe flooding and landslides in recent days.

Local authorities report that aid can only reach several subdistricts in North Sumatra by air, as rescue teams have not yet been able to access them due to blocked roads and lack of electricity and communications.

More than 1.1 million people have been affected, and around 290,000 residents have been displaced. Given the magnitude of the disaster, local governments and civil organizations are calling for a national state of emergency to be declared, a measure implemented in Indonesia only three times in the last three decades, including the 2004 tsunami and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Such a declaration would facilitate greater mobilization of resources and access to emergency funds, which are also needed to expedite search and rescue operations.

abo/jav/ro/msm