Last Thursday, dozens of protesters rallied in Aceh’s capital, Banda Aceh, waving white flags and demanding that the central government opens the door to foreign aid.
Standing among the crowd was a little girl holding a sheet of paper, which read: “I am just three years old, I want to grow up in a safe and sustainable world.”
Though typically seen as a symbol for surrender, the white flags that have popped up across the province – on broken rooftops, along eroded riverbanks and outside mosques – are a call for international solidarity, protesters say.
“The flags do not mean we are giving in. They are a distress signal to grab the attention of friends outside, to let them know the conditions in Aceh today are very bad,” Husnul Khawatinnissa, who was at the rally, tells the BBC.
Entire villages have been wiped out, while widespread damage to roads and infrastructure has also isolated many communities. Survivors have spoken of sickness and starvation.
“How long more do we have to wash ourselves in mud and floodwaters,” shouted Nurmi Ali, another demonstrator.
Provincial authorities have reached out to the United Nations for support, with the Aceh governor declaring he welcomes help “from anyone, anywhere”.
Prabowo’s administration has said relief efforts are under way on a “national scale”, noting that it has disbursed some 60 trillion rupiah ($3.6bn) for reconstruction efforts.