Image source, Reuters
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- author, Astodestra agengrastri
- Author title, BBC, Jakarta
- author, Jonathan Head
- Author title, Southeast Asia Correspondent
- author, Patrick Jackson
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Rescue teams in Indonesia are searching for hundreds of people reported missing, many of whom may be buried under landslides, after torrential rains caused catastrophic flooding nearly a week ago.
The death toll on Sumatra island has already exceeded 440 people, according to the government.
Aid has been sent to affected areas by land and air, but some villages have not yet received anything, and there are reports of people stealing food and water to survive.
Millions of people in Southeast Asia have suffered the consequences of torrential rains, including Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, which left more than 900 people dead this month.
Image source, AFP via Getty Images
Catastrophic landslides
Cyclone Senyar, an extremely rare storm, caused landslides and catastrophic flooding in Indonesia, sweeping away homes and leaving thousands of buildings submerged.
The National Disaster Management Agency said dozens of people were missing in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra.
“There are two cities that require full attention because they are isolated, specifically Tapanuli Central and Sibolga,” the agency’s director, Lieutenant General Suharyanto, said, according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.
Some international aid has arrived, especially from Malaysia, which is sending supplies to Aceh, one of the worst-hit provinces.
Image source, Reuters
In the village of Sungai Nyalu, about 100 kilometers from Padang, the capital of West Sumatra, the floods had already receded on Sunday, covering homes, vehicles and crops in thick gray mud, AFP reported.
Residents said that the authorities have not yet begun clearing the roads, and foreign aid has not arrived.
Idris, 55, told AFP, “Most of the local residents chose to stay, and did not want to leave their homes.”
The Associated Press reported that police spokesman Phiri Walintokan said officers had been sent to stop the looting of stores.
“The looting occurred before logistical assistance arrived,” Walintokan added. “(Residents) didn’t know help was coming and were worried about starving to death.”
On the other hand, billionaire technology businessman Elon Musk announced that he will provide his Starlink platform service for free to support communications during emergencies.
Massive devastation across Southeast Asia
Heavy rains caused widespread destruction in the area.
At least 170 people died in floods in Thailand and several deaths were reported in Malaysia.
In Sri Lanka, more than 330 people have been killed in floods and landslides as the country grapples with one of the worst climate disasters in years.
Although the intensity of the heavy rains has subsided, low-lying areas in the capital, Colombo, remain submerged and many areas in the center of the country remain cut off.
In the Philippines, tens of thousands of people demonstrated against government corruption after a series of floods that killed more than 200 people this month.
Image source, Environmental Protection Agency
The government admitted that significant funds intended to finance flood control had been lost due to corruption.
Public anger over the situation now threatens the government of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Two massive protests were held in the capital, Manila, one organized by the Catholic Church and the other organized by unions, students and left-wing activists.
The complaint is the same; Central government funds allocated for flood defense have been diverted into the pockets of corrupt politicians, leaving many communities dangerously vulnerable to this year’s exceptional rainfall.
But determining who is responsible is difficult. Marcos Jr. fired several politicians and officials whom he accused of stealing money.
But one of these politicians, now in hiding, accused the president himself of overseeing corruption. Marcos denied the accusation, calling it propaganda.
His sister, Senator Imee Marcos, has joined the opposition against him, and Vice President Sara Duterte, the president’s arch rival, says she is ready to take power if he is forced to resign. However, she is also facing other corruption allegations.
Much now depends on whether the protests continue in the coming weeks and whether more of the president’s allies desert him.
He will realize that two of his predecessors, including his father, were overthrown by popular protest movements sparked by corruption.
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