More than 900 Dead and Hundreds Missing in Southeast Asia Floods

Authorities in Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka are still looking for hundreds of missing people after floods and landslides devastated the region last week.

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More than 900 people have died and thousands were left stranded after heavy monsoon rains, exacerbated by a tropical storm and supercharged by climate change, wreaked havoc across three nations in Southeast Asia last week.

The death toll from Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka rose sharply to 334 on Sunday, with many more still missing as rescue efforts entered a fourth day. The cyclone made landfall on the East coast in the early hours of Friday, unleashing record rain and multiple landslides. It is the worst natural disaster to hit the south Asian island nation since a devastating tsunsami claimed more than 31,000 lives in 2004.

Parts of the capital, Colombo, are still underwater, with dozens of people trapped in their homes. Around 200,000 people have seeked refuge in 1,275 shelters, Reuters reported on Monday.

“We are facing the largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history,” said President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who has declared a state of emergency.

Rescue operations are ongoing but have been hampered by power cuts and road blockages. Authorities expect floodwaters to gradually recede and power and communications to be restored over the next three days.

Cyclone Ditwah: VIIRS image from NOAA-21 Satellite.

In Indonesia, authorities on Sunday confirmed 442 deaths and said 402 still missing as severe rains swept parts of the archipelago, unleashing floods and landslides. Nearly 300,000 people had been evacuated as of Saturday, but thousands more were left stranded and without critical supplies on Sumatra island, the hardest-hit area.

Heavy monsoon rains also claimed at least 162 lives in southern Thailand, where they unleashed the worst floods in a decade. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation announced on Friday that a 9,000 baht (US$280) flood relief payment will be provided to affected citizens immediately. More than 1.3 million households have so far applied, according to the Department’s website.

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.

More than 90 people died in Central Vietnam from flooding and landslides two weeks ago.