Emergency Response Ends, Emergency Life Not Yet |
The Aceh Tamiang Regency Government officially ended the emergency response period in accordance with Decree Number 100.3.3.2/239/2026. The local government subsequently declared a 90-day post-disaster recovery transition period, from February 25 to May 25, 2026.
This decision was made after a comprehensive evaluation of the hydrometeorological disaster emergency response, conducted jointly with the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.
This change in status has implications for the treatment of flood victims going forward. There are a number of changes in the government's treatment in the disaster area and in the treatment of victims.
Affected communities must be aware of the knock-on effects of these changes to prevent overreaction in the future.
By ending the emergency period, the government considers victim rescue, evacuation, and provision of basic needs such as food, medical care, and emergency shelter to be complete.
Referring to Law Number 24 of 2007 concerning Disaster Management and derivative regulations from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), this means the crisis period has passed. Community life is gradually returning to normal, although not yet 100 percent as it was before the disaster.
Next, we are entering a transitional period, where the government's focus is on rehabilitation and reconstruction. The goal of this transition is to restore the community's social and economic functions. Basic services have been improved, and dependence on emergency assistance has begun to gradually decrease.
This could cause unrest within the community when people are unprepared for the changes. The emergency assistance they usually receive is suddenly no longer available. Likewise, other facilities that have been the livelihoods of the evacuees now living in temporary shelters have been reduced.
The government will now focus on repairing temporary shelters, permanently restoring clean water, and providing psychosocial support and livelihood restoration. Several non-governmental organizations have begun psychoanalytic recovery, particularly for children. There are no reports yet on the progress of the livelihood recovery program.
This is where the decision to change the disaster status will be seen as correct. It's clear that in several affected areas, many basic necessities, such as clean water, are still not readily available. We're not just discussing the situation in Aceh Tamiang, but also in other districts.
Electricity and other infrastructure are also not fully available as they were before the disaster. Many basic facilities are still missing. The slow pace of disaster management has been frequently voiced by the public, contradicting statements from government officials.
The reality on the ground shows that the end of the emergency status does not always align with the recovery of people's lives.
The transitional recovery period should not be interpreted simply as a change in administrative status, but rather as a crucial phase to ensure that communities truly recover. The success of this phase depends heavily on collaboration between the government, the business world, humanitarian agencies, and the active participation of the community itself.
Local governments need to ensure that transitional policies do not create an "aid vacuum" that could deepen social vulnerability. Transparency of information, accurate data collection, and empathetic communication are key to ensuring the public understands that aid is not being stopped, but rather being restructured toward a more sustainable recovery.
The emergency response status can indeed be ended through an official decision. But for disaster victims, the struggle to return to normal life is often just beginning.[]
