The number of deaths in several Southeast Asian countries due to floods exceeded 1,200 on Tuesday (2), according to reports from governments and local authorities. Thousands of people remain isolated, especially in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
In recent weeks, heavy rains and catastrophic floods have hit Sri Lanka, parts of Sumatra Island, Indonesia, southern Thailand and northern Malaysia.
In Sumatra, the death toll rose on Tuesday to 753 dead and 504 missing, according to the Disaster Management Agency.
Misbul Munir, 28, a resident of North Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra, told AFP, “The water reached my neck and rose to about two metres. All the furniture was damaged. I only have the clothes I am wearing.”
The waters have receded, but the devastation has forced hundreds of thousands of people to take refuge in shelters, where they struggle to find water and food.
In Indonesia’s Aceh region, one of the worst affected areas, residents with some spare cash are stockpiling supplies.
“Roads have been blocked in the most flooded areas. People are afraid they will run out of fuel,” Erna Mardiah, 29, who was waiting in line at a gas station in Banda Aceh, told AFP.
The Indonesian government announced on Monday (1st) the shipment of 34,000 tons of rice and 6.8 million liters of cooking oil to the most affected provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra.
Relief organizations say they are working hard to transport supplies to the affected areas, amid fears of running out of basic goods in local markets.
“Communities across Aceh are at high risk of food shortages and famine if supply lines are not restored within the next seven days,” Islamic Relief warned.
At least 410 people have died and 336 others are missing in Sri Lanka, according to a report updated by authorities on Tuesday. The rain stopped on Monday in the capital, Colombo, and the water level is expected to decrease in the coming days.
Some commercial establishments have reopened their doors. In Ma Oya, north of Colombo, Hasitha Wijewardena said she was trying to clean her house after the floods. “The water receded, but the house was filled with mud.”
The government announced that it is still assessing the extent of the damage in the center of the country, the most affected area, while emergency teams are trying to open the blocked roads.
Sri Lanka’s President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, declared a state of emergency, stating that it was the “largest and most severe natural disaster” in the country’s history – the damage was the most severe in the country since the 2004 tsunami, which killed nearly 31,000 people and left more than a million homeless.
Floods in southern Thailand have claimed the lives of 176 people, authorities said on Monday, in one of the worst weather events the country has witnessed in ten years.
The government sent aid, but there was criticism of the flood response. Two government officials were suspended due to their inadequate response to the emergency.
Much of Asia is currently experiencing the annual monsoon season, which brings heavy rains and often triggers landslides and floods, which has been exacerbated by the climate crisis and resulting changes in global temperatures, pressure and humidity.