Under a harsh mid-morning sun, hundreds of residents waited outside a state-owned rice warehouse in Sarudik, hoping to collect emergency supplies after devastating floods and landslides swept across Sumatra. Among them was 28-year-old Nur Apsyah, who made the trip with her parents. Her hometown, Sibolga, has been nearly isolated for days because damaged access routes cut power and choked off food, fuel, and water.

“It has never been like this in Sibolga before,” she said. “There is no food, the money has run out, and there are no jobs. How can we eat?”

Last week’s flooding and landslides killed more than 770 people, destroyed homes, washed away bridges, and severed transportation links across the island. Humanitarian groups say the scale of rescue and recovery is unlike anything they have handled in the region, with more rain forecast and many areas still unreachable by land.

Sibolga escaped the worst physical damage, but its isolation has pushed the town into a deepening emergency. Nur said frustration has already led some residents to loot minimarkets. “Imagine, people who should not have done that, did it because there is no helping hand from the government,” she told AFP.

Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Pratikno said the rice distributions were meant to “ease the people’s burden”. On Wednesday, soldiers oversaw the handouts, marking recipients’ fingers with ink to prevent repeat collection. Some men lifted 50-kilogram sacks onto their backs, while women balanced them carefully on their heads as they left the compound.

Queues at the warehouse and fuel stations have begun to thin, although fresh rain threatens to undo that progress. Many stores remain closed without electricity, and those still operating rely on generators.

Local resident Sahmila Pasaribu said she spent hours searching for basic goods. Even if she had the money, she said, “There is nothing that can be bought.” Fuel, rice, and cooking oil are among the items hardest to find.

At a government water office in Sibolga, long lines formed as people filled gallon containers after landslides disrupted water lines to their homes. Grocery store owner Sopian Hadi, 30, said he has been returning daily. “We need water for our daily lives… water is our source of life,” he said. He added that he once waited six hours just to fill his motorcycle’s tank.

Despite the strain, Sopian said he refuses to give in. “I am not desperate, because to survive, we can’t despair.”