I went to the village where we used to live, because we wanted to see the condition of the village after a day of rain, mud and tree trunks were scattered all over💦. February 14, 2026

Hello everyone.

Again, sad news, sadness, anxiety, and worry are commonplace for us. Today, I invited a friend to join a group of my grandmother's relatives traveling to a village next to mine. We walked with several groups of refugees from the highlands to Karang Baru village.

Our journey was a moment of utter despair, especially since my grandmother, aging and no longer strong, was also traveling to our former village. We were forced to walk across collapsed bridges and rocky roads. There was no other option but to walk or take public transportation, as the cost was prohibitive, especially in this day and age of chaos.

The owner of the public transportation vehicle also worked with the Indonesian government and charged whatever he pleased if we traveled by public transportation.

That's why none of us were interested in going by government transportation. We preferred to walk, even though we were tired, we were still enthusiastic rather than taking their public transportation. We walked for about two hours more because we often took breaks along the way. Besides, my grandmother wasn't strong and got tired easily, so we often took breaks.

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After resting midway, we continued on to our destination, my grandmother's house. After traversing a rocky road, at 12:00 noon, we arrived at a village road across from ours. It was just a different name, and the distance to our village was about a dozen meters. We observed many things. In this village, people were forced to live on the side of the road because their homes were still uninhabitable.

After renovating their homes, the villagers preferred to sleep on the street, using only carpets. So we crossed the road, feeling reluctant to disturb their sleep. We continued walking forward, because after we crossed the road, it wasn't far to our village.

Our goal was to force ourselves to go to our hometown because it had been raining so heavily lately. We were more concerned about the situation in the village, especially in our own. According to information from residents, our village was no longer safe to live in, with the muddy ground and large trees still scattered about. So, we, in the highlands, were very curious to see what the conditions were like. As for the damage, there was no need to ask; in fact, almost all the residents in our area had their houses completely collapsed.

This is the house of one of my friends from my class. His house looks like it hasn't been lived in for years, everything from the contents to the yard is completely destroyed. And his family has left, and I don't know where they are. Even now, I haven't heard from my old school friend.

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And this is the condition of my grandmother's house where I live. My heart is so complicated and sad when I see it like this. My heart feels sad and sorrowful. Everything we have is surrendered. There is no hope of reviving our souls. Especially with the current situation being so chaotic. It's not just me who feels sad; all the people of Aceh are saddened by the flood disaster caused by greedy humans who collaborate with the government to destroy natural forests and turn them into mining grounds for their own profit.

It used to be very comfortable and safe here, the yard was beautiful and full of trees. But after the flood, everything changed, and it felt like I didn't even live there. Back when I was in school, every time I came home with my friends, we would always look for water apples. Because there were so many guava trees here, and the trees were very short and easy to pick. But now, even the trees are gone. I don't know where they came from. They're either buried under the ground or carried away. Now, they've become like a small river when it rains heavily recently.

There are some remaining items, such as clothing and household items, but 80% of them are already unusable, damaged, such as wardrobes and dish racks. Even clothes are very difficult to clean because they are covered in thick mud and soil. Whatever the situation, we must remain strong in this situation.

Our community sincerely hopes that the Aceh and central governments will immediately send more evenly distributed aid and ensure that access to isolated areas can be opened soon. Our residents also emphasize that time is increasingly critical, and every hour of delay could worsen conditions on the ground.

Access to several hamlets remains difficult. Thick mud deposits, fallen trees, and debris from buildings destroyed by the floods make it difficult for vehicles to enter. Residents emphasize that heavy equipment is urgently needed to clear roads and clear the mud. Therefore, for now, we are safer living in the highlands in the highland refugee camps than in the villages.

Today, we chose to stay in our birthplace for just one day and one night. If we were to return to the highland refugee camp, my grandmother's friends and relatives would definitely not be able to go back there. We've also bought some food to take back to the highlands and consume in our village in just one day and one night. We bought our goods from the government, and we saved together. And the price of goods, in the current situation and conditions like these, has risen tenfold.

Some people can't even afford to buy them alone without a group. It's very difficult for people to find work now. So we always work together in groups and work together to buy food items, like rice, eggs, cooking oil, and so on. If you buy it yourself, it is very difficult because of your critical financial condition, that is why you have to care about each other and collect it together.

Author Misslaila🙏.