Floodwaters Ravage Southeast Asia, Leaving Thousands Dead or Missing.
Heavy monsoon rains have brought devastating floods and landslides to south-east Asia, claiming the lives of at least 460 people across Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. The disaster has also left thousands stranded, many on rooftops awaiting rescue.
In Indonesia, where the death toll stands at over 303, with 279 still missing, clean-up and search-and-rescue operations have begun in earnest. Rescuers have recovered 31 bodies in North Sumatra so far, while West Sumatra reported 61 fatalities and 90 people unaccounted for. Aceh province has also borne the brunt of the disaster, with at least 35 deaths.
As Indonesia struggles to cope with the scale of the disaster, a team of experts is working on a cloud-seeding operation in West Sumatra to reduce rainfall, which had largely subsided by Saturday. The operation aims to mitigate the impact of climate change, which has exacerbated storm patterns, leading to heavier rainfall and more frequent floods.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, over 3.8 million people have been affected by the flooding, with 162 deaths reported across eight provinces. The country's prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, acknowledged the government's shortcomings in flood management and promised a two-week timeframe for the district's clean-up. Relief measures, including compensation of up to $62,000 for households that lost family members, have been rolled out.
The Thai government has faced growing public criticism over its response to the disaster, with local officials suspended over their alleged failures. An MP from the opposition People's party condemned the administration, saying it "wrongly estimated the situation" and made "errors in handling the flood crisis".
In Malaysia, two people were killed by flooding caused by heavy rain that left stretches of northern Perlis state underwater. The annual monsoon season, which typically runs between June and September, often brings heavy rain, triggering landslides and flash floods.
The disaster highlights the growing vulnerability of south-east Asia to climate change, with the region experiencing increasingly extreme weather events. As the people of Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia struggle to cope with the aftermath, they are also grappling with the long-term consequences of a warming planet that is bringing more frequent and intense storms.
Heavy monsoon rains have brought devastating floods and landslides to south-east Asia, claiming the lives of at least 460 people across Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. The disaster has also left thousands stranded, many on rooftops awaiting rescue.
In Indonesia, where the death toll stands at over 303, with 279 still missing, clean-up and search-and-rescue operations have begun in earnest. Rescuers have recovered 31 bodies in North Sumatra so far, while West Sumatra reported 61 fatalities and 90 people unaccounted for. Aceh province has also borne the brunt of the disaster, with at least 35 deaths.
As Indonesia struggles to cope with the scale of the disaster, a team of experts is working on a cloud-seeding operation in West Sumatra to reduce rainfall, which had largely subsided by Saturday. The operation aims to mitigate the impact of climate change, which has exacerbated storm patterns, leading to heavier rainfall and more frequent floods.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, over 3.8 million people have been affected by the flooding, with 162 deaths reported across eight provinces. The country's prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, acknowledged the government's shortcomings in flood management and promised a two-week timeframe for the district's clean-up. Relief measures, including compensation of up to $62,000 for households that lost family members, have been rolled out.
The Thai government has faced growing public criticism over its response to the disaster, with local officials suspended over their alleged failures. An MP from the opposition People's party condemned the administration, saying it "wrongly estimated the situation" and made "errors in handling the flood crisis".
In Malaysia, two people were killed by flooding caused by heavy rain that left stretches of northern Perlis state underwater. The annual monsoon season, which typically runs between June and September, often brings heavy rain, triggering landslides and flash floods.
The disaster highlights the growing vulnerability of south-east Asia to climate change, with the region experiencing increasingly extreme weather events. As the people of Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia struggle to cope with the aftermath, they are also grappling with the long-term consequences of a warming planet that is bringing more frequent and intense storms.
I'm so sorry to hear about all these floods in Southeast Asia... it's like, how can this keep happening? 
And what's with the cloud-seeding thing? Does it even work? 
I mean, I've seen videos of those weird machines that create clouds, but does it really make a difference? 
I don't know how the rescue teams are doing it. Do they have like, super long ropes or something? 
And what about all the people on rooftops? Don't they get bored up there? 
I mean, 460 people dead or missing? That's crazy! And the fact that they're having to resort to cloud-seeding ops to reduce rainfall is like something out of a sci-fi movie... 
It's like we've lost touch with nature, you know?
How are they supposed to survive like that? And the Thai gov's response is all over the place... 
Climate change is real, folks. We need to take action before it's too late. I know we can't go back to the old days, but we gotta try to do better, ya know?
is climate change really that bad? i mean, i've been hearing about it for years, but i dont fully understand what it means or how its affecting our planet 
So sad what's happening in SE Asia right now... 460+ people lost their lives already & thousands stuck on rooftops 
We need to act fast & support these countries in any way we can! 
Indonesia, Thailand & Malaysia are really feeling the heat 
We gotta look out for each other & our planet 
I've been saying that for years. On the other hand, some expert thingy is trying to cloud-seed in West Sumatra to reduce rainfall... which could actually work! 
But what if it doesn't? Like, we're playing with fire here and can't guarantee anything will happen. Thailand's floods are getting a lot of attention, but have they even thought about the economic impact on their country? That's the real concern here. And don't even get me started on Malaysia... two people killed by flooding in Perlis state 
. Like, can't we focus on saving lives for one second?! And don't even get me started on the limited character count for emergency messages 
. What if someone needs to send a really important message and it gets cut off mid-sentence?! It's just so frustrating...
we need to find a way to stop this from getting outta hand before it's too late 
anyways, i think the cloud-seeding operation in west sumatra is a good start, but like, what about the actual root cause of these floods? can't just fix the symptoms without addressing the problem itself 
we need more solutions than just "just do something"... like, have you seen those flood-control systems that are supposed to be built in indonesia? they're still nowhere near completion 
Thailand's PM is just trying to cover his behind with a 2-wk clean-up timeframe tho 
and Malaysia is just getting hit by the monsoon season again... when will we learn?! 
this is just heartbreaking... so many innocent ppl losing their lives & homes because of nature's wrath 
. i hope these cloud-seeding ops work out & bring some relief soon 
. but honestly, it's like we're always one step behind as a planet when it comes to addressing these kinds of disasters 
. any progress feels slow 
.
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️, and a person stuck on a rooftop 
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