Cyclone Aftermath in Southeast Asia
REPORTER:
For residents on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, shock and dismay days after Cyclonic Storm Senyar smashed into their homes. In Indonesia alone, 600 people are dead—and close to 500 are missing. Flooding has killed around 200 more in nearby Thailand and Malaysia.
Cyclones don’t normally form so close to the equator. And survivors like Rosmina are still surprised at how sudden the floodwaters came.
Rosmina:
Suddenly, someone ran from the garden. 'Come on, run, run, the big water's coming!' he said. So I immediately ran to save my child. Get out of this house, save my child. The water from this house was already up to their knees.
Not everyone was able to make it out in time. Muhammad Rais explains what happened to his family and their home, now nothing more than a plot of sludge.
REPORTER:
How many people lived here?
Muhammad Rais:
There were 12 people here.
REPORTER:
Did everyone survive?
Muhammad Rais:
No, we lost two.
REPORTER:
Who?
Muhammad Rais:
My mother and mother in-law.
REPORTER:
Southeast Asia isn’t the only part of the continent facing shock and a massive cleanup. In Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo, Cyclone Ditwah may have passed, but low-lying streets are still flooded—motorboats replacing cars in some places. More than 300 people are dead, and over 200 more missing amid the flooding and mudslides. The country hasn’t seen a storm like this in years—and the country’s president says it’s the largest natural disaster in Sri Lanka’s history. That includes the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
The flood this time isn’t as massive as the one in 2016, but the water level is actually about seven feet higher than then.
In Sri Lanka, the suddenness of the floodwaters took some people by surprise.
Sri Lanka Resident:
In the night, things were normal. By the next morning, everything was underwater, including our house. Seven of us, including children, took refuge on the top floor. There are another 15 adults still there. Their houses are completely underwater.
REPORTER:
Meanwhile, yet another storm – Koto – is approaching Vietnam, where it has already killed several people. It now threatens to cause more damage after weeks of heavy flooding in the country.
And so, the devastation continues throughout Asia, with a large and growing death toll, homes and livelihoods damaged or destroyed, and a long and painful recovery still ahead.
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