Jakarta – Basarnas has deployed aid personnel from a number of SAR offices outside the region to strengthen search and evacuation operations in the Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra regions by sea. This follows land access still being cut off due to floods and landslides. “Because land routes are still cut off at several points, we are deploying sea facilities, our KN SAR is on standby,” Basarnas chief Mohammad Syafii said in a press conference at the BNPB office, Jakarta, reported by Antara, Thursday (27/11/2025). Basarnas, as the supervisor in the coordination of search and rescue (SAR) operations, activated eight operations, covering Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra which are currently affected by hydrometeorological disasters. Additional Basarnas personnel from a number of SAR offices have been dispatched, including from Bengkulu, Pangkal Pinang, and even this Thursday evening, a special Basarnas Special Group (BSG) team from the Central Basarnas office in Jakarta was deployed. SCROLL TO CONTINUE CONTENT Syafii said that SAR operations in these areas will be prioritized to evacuate residents who are still isolated and victims who have not been found. “The SAR mission coordinator together with all SAR potentials in the area are currently struggling to carry out operations, especially to evacuate isolated victims,” ​​said Syafii. Data on casualties, injuries, displacement and infrastructure damage in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra is still dynamic and data is being collected by joint teams of officers deployed in each region. However, based on an interim report from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Pusdalops on Thursday afternoon, it was discovered that flash floods and landslides were widespread in 13 districts/cities in the province. The 13 areas hit by natural disasters consist of nine districts and four cities, namely Langkat Regency, Central Tapanuli Regency, Mandailing Natal Regency, South Tapanuli Regency and North Tapanuli Regency. Similarly in West Sumatra, the areas affected by flash floods and landslides include Agam, Padang Pariaman, Bukittinggi, Solok and Padang. Meanwhile, in Aceh, it was reported that 10 of the 23 districts/cities declared a state of emergency for the flood disaster that displaced 1,497 people and reported the death of two residents. “We hope that information from the public and mass media can be an extension of our work to carry out our duties, especially at disaster points that require immediate treatment,” said Syafii. (eva/lir)