At the end of November 2025, Cyclone Senyar triggered extreme rainfall that caused devastating floods in three provinces in Indonesia: Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. As of 14 January 2026, official figures recorded more than 1,000 deaths and over 130,000 people displaced across the three provinces.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) arrived in Aceh Tamiang, a district of Aceh, on 5 December 2025.
“The city was dark because there was no electricity and there’s no mobile coverage,” says Ivan Sinaga, MSF’s head of mission in Indoneisa. “It was basically covered in thick mud.”
Seventeen out of 19 health facilities, including 12 general healthcare centres, in Aceh Tamiang were no longer functional after floodwaters receded and they were left covered in heavy mud.
Syahri, a community member involved in the coordination of the emergency response in Pengidam village, recalls how quickly the water rose, reaching the height of 11 metres on the night of 26 November 2025.
“We didn’t have any boat, so we used tires and jerrycans to evacuate to the higher ground in panic and darkness,” he says. “The flood receded two days later, leaving behind destroyed homes and mud. The mud even covered rooftops.”
Scaling up services in times of emergency
After the floodwaters receded, MSF scaled up our emergency response, which finished at the end of January 2026.
As part of the response, our team ran mobile clinics in eight subdistricts of Aceh Tamiang region, and one subdistrict in Aceh Timur. To bring care to heard-to-reach villages in Aceh Timur, like Batu Sumbang and Pante Kera, we travelled by boat for five hours and camped overnight.
At these mobile clinics, our team treated 2,430 patients and saw three conditions frequently: upper respiratory tract infections, generalised aches and pains, and chronic hypertension. We also provided mental health care to 429 people during these clinics to help them cope with their trauma following the disaster.
Following the flood, a measles case was confirmed, and the District Health Office began a vaccination campaign, which ran between 5 and 24 January. We integrated this campaign into our mobile clinics, vaccinating 283 children with vaccines provided by the District Health Office.
Addressing mud and sanitation challenges
Another major problem emerged as the flood receded: mud up to one-metre-thick burying homes and public facilities.
MSF’s water and sanitation team supported the cleanup and reactivation of two healthcare centres located in Manyak Payed and Sekerak, in Aceh Tamiang, to restore services for patients.
We also distributed over 4,000 relief packages, including hygiene kits, cleanup tools, cooking sets, and materials to build emergency latrines.
Strengthening local coordination
Aside from direct medical services, MSF also supported the operation of the Health Emergency Operation Centre under the District Health Office of Aceh Tamiang. This included supplying generators for power, internet connectivity, and providing data collection.
“The rehabilitation and cleanup efforts by MSF empowered the local community, enabling health centres to operate independently and resume providing services on their own,” says Dr Mustakim, Head of Aceh Tamiang’s District Health Office.