HIBAPRESS
The number of victims of floods and landslides in Indonesia has risen to 502 dead, with 508 people still missing, according to the Disaster Management Agency on Monday. Thus, the total number of victims of the recent natural disasters in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka has exceeded a thousand dead.
The authorities in these countries located in South and Southeast Asia are seeking to open roads and remove debris to find the missing after this disaster caused by heavy rains, floods, and soil landslides. In Indonesia, at least two cities on the island of Sumatra, Tapanuli and Sibolga, are still completely isolated due to the floods, where the authorities have sent two warships to provide aid to the trapped residents. In the city of Sungai Nyalo, located one hundred kilometers from Padang in Sumatra, the flood waters have receded considerably, but they have left houses, cars, and fields covered with a layer of gray mud. In Thailand, the authorities continue to search for the missing, and the government has taken measures to assist the affected, including providing compensation of up to two million baht (53 thousand euros). However, the authorities' handling of the disaster has been widely criticized, and this has led to the isolation of local officials from their duties. As for Sri Lanka, entire areas of the capital, Colombo, were flooded on Sunday, with the cyclone receding and heading towards India. The situation shows the impact of climate change on storms, as it makes them more powerful and frequent, accompanied by heavy rains, sudden floods, and strong winds.
