August M
One of the deadliest weather disasters in recent years has engulfed Indonesia, where entire communities remain cut off after rare cyclone-driven floods swept through three provinces.
Indonesia’s national disaster agency said the floods have now killed 631 people and affected roughly 1.5 million residents. Nearly half a million evacuees remain without reliable access to food, water or medical supplies.
Large sections of Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra are still unreachable, with roads destroyed and bridges collapsed. Rescue teams have relied on motorcycles and foot patrols to reach isolated villages.
Survivors described the force of the water as unlike anything they had seen. One woman from Aceh told the BBC the surge was “like a tsunami,” adding that her grandmother called it “the worst in her life.”
Anger over response
As desperation mounts, criticism of the government’s disaster preparedness has grown.
Some humanitarian groups accuse authorities of being slow to distribute food aid, while others cite land-clearing and poor environmental management as factors that worsened the flooding.
President Prabowo Subianto acknowledged damaged roads and difficult conditions during a visit to North Sumatra, saying officials were “doing everything we can to overcome difficulties” and calling for “resilience and solidarity,” notes the BBC.
Regional weather surge
According to the BBC, the disaster forms part of a wider pattern across South and South-East Asia, where more than 1,200 people have died in floods and landslides in the past week. Sri Lanka and Thailand have each reported high casualties from torrential rain.
Meteorologists say a combination of monsoon conditions, unusually intense cyclonic storms and ongoing climate pressures contributed to the extreme rainfall across the region.
Sources: BBC
