Today marks exactly two months since the worst flash flood to hit our area, on November 27, 2025. My journey today will be to the headwaters of the river where the floodwaters first emerged. Based on several sources I've obtained, the flood was caused by a dam that broke, unable to withstand the enormous volume of water. However, what is certain is that this water came from the mountains that had been cleared by companies, and logs were also carried away by the water. To confirm this, I will make this journey to the dam site.

The journey was extremely extreme, with the road severely damaged. My wife accompanied me on this journey. Along the way, we saw water scars still visible on the walls of residents' homes and mud left behind by the flood. We also saw houses that were severely damaged, some even gone, leaving only the foundations. We were heartbroken. Although we were also affected by the flash flood, it wasn't as severe as this one. We continued our journey on our motorcycle at a light pace, chatting with my wife and seeing the faces of the people who were there. Worn out, tired, and resigned, we can't imagine how many tears have been shed, how sad they are: homes lost, possessions lost, livelihoods lost, even family members lost.

It took us two hours to get here. It used to only take half an hour, but now the severely damaged road conditions make our journey take a long time. We were shocked when we arrived at this dam. We saw that the river, which was once small, was now very large. The river, which was once clear, was now very murky and dirty, filled with logs. We used to visit this beautiful place often, but now it's badly damaged. Here are some pictures I can share from the Jambo Aye groundwater dam bridge in North Aceh.

Then we walked south, not far from here. We saw a pool formed by the rushing water during the flash flood. While there used to be a home here, it was no longer there. From a distance, we saw refugee tents on higher ground. We couldn't reach the refugee camp because access was slippery and muddy.

We also saw workers clearing the mud left by the floodwaters inside the embankment using heavy equipment.

Our experience here today was a glimpse of how much they are suffering and how much they need help and donations. This trip made me realize that the damage in our remote area is nothing compared to here, and according to locals, the damage in the interior is even worse. We only visited around the main road; if I had gone deeper into the village, I wouldn't have imagined how sad I was. That was my experience today.