Indonesia estimates flood recovery costs to exceed more than $3bn

Following the series of devastating floods in South East Asia, Indonesia has roughly estimated recovery funds to mitigate the damages after deadly cyclones killed nearly a thousand victims and displaced hundreds of others.

According to the Indonesian government officials, Sumatra Island will require 51.82 trillion rupiah ($3.11 billion) in reconstruction and recovery funds.

As reported by Reuters, the death toll from the cyclone and floods reached 950, with 274 still missing as of Monday, December 8, 2025.

The official data reports, the storm also killed about 200 people in southern Thailand and Malaysia.

The head of Indonesian disaster mitigation agency (BNPB), Suharyanto, said that the recovery funds needed across the three provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra may still increase as the agency continues to calculate how much damage has been done.

Among the three affected provinces, Aceh needs the most funds, amounting to a total of 25.41 trillion rupiah, Suharyanto said at a cabinet meeting led by President Prabowo Subianto in Aceh province on Sunday, December 7, 2025.

While,North Sumatra and West Sumatra will require 12.88 trillion and 13.52 trillion rupiah respectively, he added

Moreover, Suharyanto informed that the reconstruction process will soon begin in some areas in North Sumatra and West Sumatra, which have recovered relatively well.

“Areas that are in better condition can start the reconstruction process. We will relocate people living in evacuation centres to temporary houses,” Suharyanto said, without providing a timeline.

The BNPB head informed that the temporary houses are 40-square-metre plywood structures built by the government for people affected by natural disasters.

“In the next phase, they will be relocated into permanent houses, built by the housing ministry,” he added.

Responding to the initial estimated recovery cost, Indonesian President Prabowo said his calculations were "similar", without elaborating whether he will approve the spending or not.

"The point is we have the capacity and we will do it meticulously and do our best to manage it," Prabowo said.

President Prabowo also mentioned that conditions in some areas remained serious, with rice fields, dams, and a large number of houses especially affected.

“The local leaders reported that there are quite a number of houses that we must help rebuild,” added Prabowo.

The Indonesian president also informed that some places are still difficult to overcome the challenges and the distribution of medication and clothes to the residents should become a priority to support the flood victims.