NIAS is currently experiencing difficulties. Prices of goods have skyrocketed even though the island hasn't been flooded like Tapanuli, South Sumatra. The condition is due to the economic dependence of Nias Island on Tapanuli with its port in Sibolga. As a result, the prices of goods in Nias, which were already more expensive than in Sibolga before the Tapanuli floods, are now even higher.

“The only route for goods to Nias is from Sibolga. During this disaster, prices have risen in Nias because goods are now being sent from Padang,” said Dian Purba, a history lecturer at the State Christian Institute (IAKN) in Tarutung.

IAKN Tarutung has many students from Nias Island. Some of them live on scholarships, which they sometimes share with their families in Nias. According to Dian Purba, these students don't want to return to their hometowns but instead want to become Christian teachers elsewhere.

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