More than 900 Dead, 274 Missing in Indonesia Floods

Green groups say both climate change and deforestation have exacerbated the deadly floods. The storm system has also killed about 200 people in southern Thailand and Malaysia.⁠ ⁠

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The death toll from the cyclone-driven floods and landslides that hit three Indonesian provinces on Sumatra earlier this month rose on Saturday.

916 died in the Aceh Tamiang region on the island of Sumatra, while 274 were still listed as missing, Reuters reported. The storm has also killed about 200 people in southern Thailand and Malaysia.⁠ ⁠

Climate change is intensifying the water cycle, bringing more intense rainfall and associated flooding.

As ocean surfaces warm, so does the air above it, causing water to be carried up to high altitudes to form clouds, while leaving a low pressure zone beneath causing more air to rush in. The warmer the air, the more water it can hold: for every extra degree Celsius of warming, air can hold 7% more moisture.

While monsoon-related floods and landslides are common in places like Thailand and Indonesia, the floods’ toll in the two nations is among the highest in recent years, according to the Guardian.

But green groups say deforestation also played a role in the deadly floods.

“We are dealing with a multiplication of problems,” Leif Cocks, an Australian zoologist, primatologist, and conservationist, and founder of The Orangutan Project, told Earth.Org.⁠ ⁠Besides climate change increasing rainfall episodes’ frequency and intensity, he said deforestation has also changed the landscape, making it more prone to destructive floods. ⁠

“The destruction of rainforest itself, and the conversion to unsustainable monocultures, such as pulp paper and palm oil, removes the ‘sponge effect’ of natural rainforest, which mitigates both drought and flood events, and supplies the community with sustainable, safe flows of water,” explained Cocks. “Now, the water runs off straight away and causes the droughts and flood events we are experiencing.”⁠ ⁠

Cocks described in a post on LinkedIn last week how three days of relentless rain had “washed out roads, submerged homes and public facilities, and tragically claimed lives across the region.”

“We’re relieved to confirm all team members are safe, but they’re facing serious challenges. The access road and main bridge to the centre were swept away, cutting us off from delivering essential supplies for our staff and the orangutans,” he wrote on Wednesday. “As the floodwaters begin to recede, our logistics team has now been able to reach the centre with much-needed supplies for both people and wildlife. They’re clearing debris, repairing damage, and working to restore normal operations soon.”

Photos: Forum Konservasi Leuser (FKL) and HAkA.