Floods in Aceh: Several Areas Still Without Power, Residents Queue for Fuel
Reporter
December 2, 2025 | 11:26 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A number of vehicles lined up at the entrance of a gas station on Teuku Umar Street, Baiturrahman, in the city of Banda Aceh, Aceh Province, Indonesia, on Monday afternoon, December 1, 2025. They queued up to purchase fuel until it extended beyond the road area. The fuel scarcity occurred when the area was hit by floods.
"Before the floods, we could only find it difficult to get diesel. Now, it's almost impossible to find pertalite and pertamax," said Muhammad Nasir Hasan, an online taxi driver.
Nasir had been shuttling Tempo journalists back and forth from Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport in Aceh Besar regency to the city of Banda Aceh. Since Monday morning, Nasir claimed to have only gotten one customer. The middle-aged man stated that his colleagues refrained from picking up passengers due to the difficulty in purchasing fuel.
Queueing also occurred at three gas stations in Beureunuen, Mutiara District, and Kota Sigli District, Pidie Regency. This condition caused traffic jams at several points. Throughout the journey from Banda Aceh to Aceh Besar, the houses and residents' selling places appeared dark. Only a few coffee shops could be seen with their brightly lit lamps.
Some shops utilized generators to maintain electricity. One of them was Cek Min coffee shop in Kota Sigil. The areas affected by power outages were actually those not heavily impacted by the floods. For example, in Aceh Barat, around 30 minutes from the city center at the fifth intersection, Banda Aceh.
"The network and electricity are limited. My place experienced a blackout for 2 days. If I'm lucky, the electricity will be on all day, only then I can get a connection," said Anisa Aqila, a resident of Aceh Barat, through a text message to Tempo.
Based on official data collected until Monday, December 1, 2025, the Aceh government reported that the number of people affected by floods and landslides reached 441,842. Of this number, 80 people died, 330 suffered severe injuries, 1,284 sustained minor injuries, and 71 are still missing.
Meanwhile, the number of refugees scattered across various locations reached 207,017 people, now accommodated at 229 shelter points across the region. The victims are spread across Bener Meriah, Central Aceh, Pidie Jaya, Bireuen, Southeast Aceh, North Aceh, East Aceh, Lhokseumawe, Gayo Lues, Subulussalam, and Nagan Raya.
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