Calls grow for foreign disaster aid in Sumatra

Flood aftermath: A file photo of people walking along a road in a village affected by a flash flood in Batang Toru, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The slow pace of rescue and aid delivery has raised questions about the government’s disaster response capacity. — AP

With fatalities from the cyclone disaster in Sumatra approaching 1,000 and numerous regions still struggling to receive aid, questions are growing over whether the government can manage the situation without international assistance.

Two weeks have passed since flash floods and landslides triggered by a rare tropical cyclone first struck Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra, leaving a devastating impact on residents and infrastructure at the northern tip of the island.