Floods in northern Sumatra affect thousands of households as heavy rain warnings continue
Flooding in northern Sumatra has affected thousands of households, Indonesia’s disaster agency said on 30 October, after days of heavy rain across the island.
The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said flooding in North Sumatra province alone had affected 7,615 households. In Subulussalam City in neighbouring Aceh, flooding that began on 24 October had affected about 1,985 households, with 177 homes still under water on 29 October. A further 691 households were reported affected in Langkat Regency in North Sumatra.
The rain arrived after months of drought linked to the El Niño weather pattern, and forecasters warned the wet weather was not over. Indonesia’s weather agency, BMKG, put North Sumatra on its highest alert level for heavy to very heavy rain on 31 October, with Aceh and several other provinces also under alerts for flooding, flash floods and landslides.
Seven provinces — Aceh, Lampung, Bengkulu, Riau, West Sumatra, South Sumatra and North Sumatra — were under heightened alerts for heavy to very heavy rainfall, according to the disaster agency. The forecast also warned of moderate to heavy rain across parts of Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Java, Bali, Maluku, Nusa Tenggara and Papua.
Why it matters
The floods have hit communities that were already dealing with a long dry spell, and the damage is spread across several provinces rather than a single district. Homes are still under water in Subulussalam almost a week after the flooding began, which means families are spending days away from their homes while the rain keeps coming.
The alerts matter beyond Sumatra too. With 25 provinces facing the chance of heavy rain, the risk of further flooding and landslides is high, and disaster teams are watching river levels and hillsides across much of the country.
What happens next
BNPB and local disaster teams are continuing to track the flooding and help affected households, while BMKG’s warnings run into the start of November. Residents in low-lying areas and near rivers have been urged to stay alert for rising water and landslides.
Updated figures on affected households and any casualties are expected as local teams finish their counts. No casualty figures were given in the disaster agency updates cited here.
Sources
- https://asianewstoday.com/forest-fires-hit-five-indonesian-provinces-floods-affect-thousands-in-north-sumatra/ (Bernama via Asia News Today, 30 October 2026)
- https://jawawa.id/newsitem/nearly-a-week-on-1-985-households-in-subulussalam-aceh-still-affected-by-flooding-1793328681 (ANTARA via Jawawa, 30 October 2026)
- https://jawawa.id/newsitem/be-alert-for-very-heavy-rain-across-indonesia-check-bmkgs-latest-warnings-1793253027 (CNBC Indonesia via Jawawa, 29 October 2026)
This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.
