Jakarta, Dec. 4 -- Indonesia is confronting one of its deadliest environmental disasters in years as catastrophic floods across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra have killed at least 804 people and left 634 missing, forcing the nation to confront structural weaknesses in environmental governance.

Despite the sharply rising casualty count and widespread destruction, President Prabowo Subianto had not declared the disaster a national emergency as of Wednesday.

A national disaster designation would shift responsibility to the central government, unlocking substantial State Budget allocations and allowing expedited coordination across agencies as communities struggle with worsening conditions, ongoing evacuations, and severe shortages o...