by Nurul Fitri Ramadhani
JAKARTA, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- One month after deadly flash floods and landslides swept through large parts of Aceh, Indonesia's westernmost province, survivors in villages still surrounded by mud and splintered wood are grappling with a trauma they say feels "deeper, stranger and more personal" than what they experienced during the Indian Ocean tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004.
Twenty-one years ago, a massive earthquake off the coast of Sumatra unleashed towering waves that destroyed entire coastal towns, killing about 200,000 people in Aceh province and forever reshaping the region's history and collective psyche. The tsunami remains seared into the memory of this land and its people.
By contrast, the floods triggered by weeks of relentless rainfall and the impact of Cyclone Senyar in November this year are described by survivors as a disaster that invaded every corner of daily life. The floods affected not only Aceh, but also neighboring North Sumatra and West Sumatra provinces, killing more than 1,100 people and displacing over 457,000, according to the latest data from Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency. Thousands of houses were inundated, roads were cut off, and villages were buried under thick mud and debris.
"It was not like the tsunami that hit only the coast," said Sulaiman, 47, a farmer from Aceh Besar Regency, one of the worst-hit areas. "This water came from the sky and the hills, pouring into every house and every rice field. I screamed and thought it was all going to end again."
For survivors like Aini, 62, the trauma is as emotional as it is physical. She lost nearly everything, her home, livestock and garden. "When the water rose, I thought I would die," she recalled in a trembling voice during a phone interview with Xinhua. "But later, when the water left, the silence was worse. It was like the land forgot us. It indeed forgot us."
Another survivor, Dewi Ulfah, 52, said the flood felt even more devastating than the tsunami, during which she lost her husband and firstborn son. At the time of the 2004 disaster, she was living in the coastal city of Meulaboh before later returning to her hometown in Pidie Jaya Regency.
"I never expected to experience such a terrifying moment again," she said. "It felt like the ground was betraying me once more. Not only me, but all the people of Aceh."
Unlike the tsunami, which struck suddenly and largely affected coastal areas, this flash flood spread rapidly from the hills through lowland villages and into towns that had never experienced severe flooding before.
"The impact was also more severe," Ulfah said. "During the tsunami, the water receded quickly. With this flood, even now it has not completely gone, not to mention the thick mud," she added, showing her house, still submerged in mud nearly up to the roof, during a video call.
In dozens of refugee camps, psychological scars run deep. Volunteers and aid workers who have reached isolated areas reported seeing many survivors display symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress, including insomnia, anxiety and recurring flashbacks.
"Children ask why the rain has become an enemy," said Rony Alam, a volunteer from a Jakarta-based charity organization. "It was not only a flood; it was a creeping dread. Many survivors say this disaster exceeds the fear they felt during the 2004 tsunami."
Days after the disaster, Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf described the floods as a "second tsunami," noting that conditions in several areas remained critical, with villages still trapped by floodwaters and inaccessible.
"We are saddened and heartbroken to see this situation," he said. "We hope the people of Aceh will remain steadfast in facing the challenges of flooding and landslides."
Local authorities have acknowledged the long-term psychological toll of the disaster. Muhammad MTA, spokesman for the Aceh provincial government, told Xinhua that addressing mental health needs has become a priority alongside physical reconstruction.
"We are coordinating with community leaders and health services to support trauma healing," he said. "Emotional recovery must go hand in hand with rebuilding homes and infrastructure."
In West Aceh Regency, local governments have begun trauma-healing programs, ranging from play therapy for children to support groups for adults, recognizing that the disaster's aftershocks may linger long after the waters recede.
Local reports describe how victims try to heal one another, joking and staying cheerful even as they wait for donations of basic necessities such as clothing. Their resolve remains strong, but the pauses between sentences often betray a heavy, unshakable weight.
"The tsunami took many lives," Ulfah said. "But this flood took our peace. And we do not know how long it will take to feel safe again." Enditem
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