More than 900 people have died and thousands are still missing since Cyclone Senyar ravaged parts of Indonesia in late November 2025. Not just water and houses that had been swept by the storms, but huge numbers of timber was found floating in three provinces: Aceh, North and West Sumatra.

This wasn’t just a natural disaster brought on by intense rain, this is ecological crisis. Weather was only part of the story. The real damage occurred when extreme rainfall collided with an already weakened ecosystem by massive deforestation, mining & hydropower project. Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra have lost natural forests of 3,678,411 hectares during the 10 years of former President Joko Widodo's administration.

Moreover, this flood also causing damage to the habitat and survival prospects of critically endangered species Sumatran elephants and Tapanuli orangutans (Pongo tapanuliensis). According to conservation scientist, Erik Meijaard, in his preliminary findings, estimated loss of Tapanuli orangutan population is of between 6.2% and 10.5% in just a few days.

My heart goes to Sumatran flood victims and their families, to those who lost their loved ones in the floods. Kindly donate and support as much as you can.