Indonesia flood survivors loot shops for food and water amid rising death toll | VIDEO
Padang: The devastating floods that have battered Southeast Asia have left hundreds dead and displaced thousands across Indonesia. In Indonesia, nearly a week after torrential rains hit the island of Sumatra, the death toll has risen to 442, with 402 people still reported missing.
Authorities expect the number of fatalities to climb as more bodies are recovered.
What has been the impact on communities in Sumatra?
The floods have displaced 290,700 people in Indonesia and damaged almost 3,000 houses, including 827 that were flattened or swept away.
Landslides have damaged roads, cut off parts of the island, and downed communication lines, making relief efforts particularly challenging. Officials and isolated communities have relied on Starlink satellite internet to coordinate some of the aid.
Why are residents resorting to looting?
Some residents of the affected areas have been forced to steal food and water to survive, police said on Sunday. Videos shared on social media showed people navigating crumbling barricades, flooded roads, and broken glass to reach food, medicine, and gas. Some even waded through waist-deep floodwaters to access damaged convenience stores.
People raided Bulog warehouse Sibolga Sumatera Utara, not out of greed, but because hunger is louder than promises. They were flood victims, cut off from aid after the logistic routes collaps🥲
pic.twitter.com/YypILhHLak— 🌸 Bubskyy 🌸 (@NyaiiBubu) November 30, 2025
Ferry Walintukan, spokesperson for the police, said, “The looting happened before logistical aid arrived. (Residents) didn’t know that aid would come and were worried they would starve.” Regional police have been deployed to restore order in the affected areas.
What relief measures are being deployed?
The day after the disaster, eleven helicopters were sent from Jakarta to assist with logistics and deliver aid, particularly to areas inaccessible by road, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said on Sunday, “but unpredictable weather often hampers aid operations.”
Footage released by the Cabinet Secretariat showed the military airdropping supplies, with survivors in North Tapanuli waving frantically to the helicopters. In addition, four navy ships docked at a port to support aid distribution.
How is technology helping in the relief effort?
Satellite internet service Starlink announced on X that it would provide free service through the end of December for those affected by floods in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
(With agency inputs)