This study discusses the compound disaster that struck parts of Sumatra, particularly North Sumatra, Aceh, and West Sumatra. As of 28 November 2025, BNPB reported 174 deaths, 79 missing people, and 12 injured victims. The disaster also disrupted transportation access and telecommunications infrastructure, making rescue operations more difficult and reducing the accuracy of updated field data.
Not a natural disaster alone
The study explains that the disaster was not caused by natural factors alone. A tropical cyclone system around the Malacca Strait contributed to extreme rainfall, strong winds, storm surge, and flooding. However, climate change may increase the intensity and unpredictability of such events, while human-driven environmental damage such as deforestation, illegal logging, and land clearing worsened the vulnerability of affected areas.
Hazard, vulnerability, and exposure
A key argument of the study is that disaster risk is shaped by three components: hazard, vulnerability, and exposure. The natural hazard came from extreme weather and tropical cyclone activity; vulnerability was increased by accumulated environmental degradation; and exposure was shaped by the location of people, settlements, and assets in disaster-prone areas such as riverbanks, hillsides, and fragile landscapes. This makes the event a compound disaster, where natural and human-made factors interact and amplify losses.
“This makes the event a compound disaster, where natural and human-made factors interact and amplify losses.”
Toward stronger urban resilience
The study also highlights the importance of timely mitigation, strong public policy, and adequate disaster-related budgets. It criticizes delayed environmental monitoring and limited funding for institutions such as BMKG and BNPB, which are crucial for disaster prediction, mitigation, and response. From an urban planning perspective, the study argues that Indonesia needs stronger urban resilience through risk mapping, sustainable spatial planning, robust infrastructure, evacuation planning, ecosystem conservation, stricter land-use control, and stronger community participation.