Malaysia Helps Aceh As Floods Displace 900,000 People
The disaster has damaged over 156,500 houses across three provinces and 52 districts, with many areas still inaccessible due to mud and sediment.
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Malaysian NGOs are helping the Acehnese cope with severe flooding that has killed nearly 1,000 people and displaced 900,000 others, with calls for public support for relief efforts.
Global Peace Mission (GPM) Malaysia said it has deployed an early humanitarian team to Aceh to work alongside local personnel and provide emergency aid to affected communities.
The mission is being conducted under Ops Ihsan, a special initiative coordinated by Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wisma Putra).
GPM Malaysia’s humanitarian team is providing food packs, basic medical supplies, public kitchens with clean water, daily essentials including hygiene and prayer kits, as well as early recovery and psychosocial support.
The organisation, which has been active in Aceh since the 2004 tsunami, said it plans several follow-up humanitarian missions as part of its long-term recovery commitment to the region.
Coordinated Malaysian Response Spans Government and NGOs
At the same time, MERCY Malaysia is also providing emergency aid to the Acehnese, including medical care, food, and shelter, in disaster-affected areas.
Another NGO, Haluan Malaysia, has deployed a relief team consisting of 40 to 50 volunteers to assist with food distribution and medical services in the flood-hit areas.
Joining the effort is the Malaysian Consulate in Medan, which has distributed essential supplies, including food and medicines, to more than 1,000 families affected by the floods in Aceh.
The consulate is closely monitoring the situation and has made arrangements for Malaysians affected by the floods to return home.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) is providing RM500 assistance to each Indonesian student in Malaysia and Malaysian students in Aceh affected by the recent floods.
Floods Cause Broader Damage Than The 2004 Tsunami
According to Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, 274 people remain missing and over 5,000 have been injured.
The floods and landslides, which began in late November, have affected three provinces (Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra) and 52 districts across the island of Sumatra.
More than 156,500 houses have been damaged, and many areas remain cut off from basic services, including electricity, food, and clean water.
The disaster has also damaged 1,200 public facilities, 199 health centres, 534 schools and 435 bridges.
While floodwaters have begun to recede in some areas, many residents cannot return home because flash floods have filled houses to depths of up to two metres.
While the 2004 tsunami claimed more lives, the scale and reach of destruction from the current floods are broader, severely damaging infrastructure and paralysing access to essential resources across Sumatra.
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