Dear readers and L&G Friends, we have arrived at the fifth and final article in our series on the floods and landslides in Sumatra. Having understood the causes, damage, and role of insurance in recovery, we now look deeper: wisdom and lessons from this disaster. Every disaster, no matter how painful, always carries a message for us to improve ourselves, strengthen our systems, and build a safer future. Hopefully, this article provides a perspective that will calm, enlighten, and motivate us to rise together.
First Lesson: Reminding Us of the Importance of Protecting the Environment
The 2025 Sumatra floods and landslides were not only the result of extreme rainfall, but also the result of years of environmental degradation. When forests are cut down, rivers are narrowed, and hills are disturbed, nature loses its natural ability to protect us.
The wisdom:
- We learn that protecting forests is not just an activist’s task, but a shared need.
- We realize that nature provides an irreplaceable balance.
- We understand that a small damage today can become a big tragedy in the future.
This disaster opened our eyes to the fact that the earth is not just a place to live, but a living system that must be maintained with full responsibility.
Lesson Two: The Importance of Preparedness and Risk Management
Many villages, sub-districts, and cities lack evacuation plans, early warning systems, or clear risk maps. As a result, when disaster strikes, residents are at a loss as to what to do.
Wisdom we can learn:
- Preparedness must become a culture, not a reaction after a disaster occurs.
- Local governments, schools, and communities need to practice evacuation simulations regularly.
- Early warning system technology must be strengthened and understood by the public.
This disaster reminds us that risks cannot be avoided, but they can be managed.
Lesson Three: Insurance as an Important Instrument for Financial Resilience
Amidst the damage and loss, many families are helped by the existence of insurance:
- Heirs receive life insurance benefits.
- Disabled victims are still assisted by accident insurance.
- Injured victims received treatment through BPJS and health insurance.
- Business and household owners can improve assets through property insurance.
The wisdom:
Insurance is not just a financial product, but a safety net which enables communities to bounce back after a disaster.
This disaster confirms that financial protection is an important part of family and business risk management.
Fourth Lesson: Solidarity and Mutual Cooperation Remain Strong
Although the disaster brought sadness, it also demonstrated the strength of national solidarity:
- Volunteers come from various provinces.
- Local communities help each other without being asked.
- Public kitchens, medical personnel, and logistical assistance emerged spontaneously.
- The younger generation is actively raising donations and information.
This is the greatest social wisdom:
In the midst of adversity, Indonesia always shows its true identity as a caring, generous, and united nation.
This gives hope that as long as the spirit of mutual cooperation is alive, we can always rise again.
Lesson Five: The Push for Spatial Planning and Environmental Policy Reform
This disaster sends a strong message to policy makers:
- Spatial planning must be adhered to, not just signed on paper.
- Mining and plantation permits must be re-evaluated.
- Protected areas must be restored to their function.
- The river must be cleaned and returned to its natural flow.
- Settlements in vulnerable zones must be relocated with dignity.
This is the moment for Indonesia to improve its spatial planning comprehensively, not partially. Otherwise, similar disasters are just a matter of time.
Sixth Lesson: The Importance of Risk Education for the Community
The 2025 disaster taught us that risk literacy is still low:
- Many do not recognize the signs of a landslide.
- Many live in danger zones without understanding the consequences.
- Many do not understand the value of insurance protection.
Therefore, disaster education should be included in:
- School curriculum
- Community training
- Regional government socialization
- Company CSR program
An educated society is a society that is more resilient in facing threats.
Seventh Lesson: It Makes Us Aware That Disasters Can Happen Anywhere and Anytime
Many residents said they never imagined a disaster of this magnitude would strike their area. This disaster is a reminder that:
- Safe locations turn into danger due to climate change
- The rainy season can no longer be predicted with the old pattern
- Major disasters no longer happen once a decade — they can now happen every year.
This new awareness is very important so that people start to re-evaluate the risks of housing, business, investment, and even life planning.
Eighth Lesson: Strengthening the Role of Science and Technology
To prevent greater casualties in the future, we need:
- A more sophisticated early warning system
- Real-time rainfall data
- Satellite-based landslide hazard mapping
- Continuously updated flood risk map
- Disaster mitigation-based infrastructure
This disaster shows that technology is not a luxury, but a basic necessity in modern risk management.
Ninth Lesson: Self-Evaluation at the Individual and Family Level
Many families now realize the importance of:
- Store important documents in a safe place
- Have an emergency fund
- Have a family evacuation plan
- Know the evacuation routes and assembly points
- Have the right insurance policy
This disaster provides a valuable lesson that small preparations can save lives and property.
Conclusion: From Grief to New Awareness
The 2025 Sumatran floods and landslides have provided us all with valuable lessons. Nature seemed to be sending a stern warning that environmental balance must not be ignored. However, behind the grief and destruction, there lies a significant opportunity to improve ourselves as a nation—from preserving nature, planning space more wisely, building a robust mitigation system, to increasing risk literacy and the importance of insurance protection for the public.
All of this is a lesson that can build a more resilient future for Indonesia. May this disaster be a turning point in our collective consciousness. From calamity, we learn. From grief, we rise. And from this bitter experience, we prepare a generation better prepared to face any future risks.
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