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Tropical storms and monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across Asia in the past week, with the death toll continuing to climb following extreme floods in large parts of Southeast Asia as well as Sri Lanka. Hundreds of people have been killed in Indonesia alone after a cyclone hit northern parts of the country. Adam Hancock sent this report from Denpasar, Bali.
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ADAM HANCOCK, BYLINE: It's been over a week since roads turned to rivers on Indonesia's Sumatra Island. Intense rain caused flash flooding across three provinces, with the extreme weather triggering multiple landslides. Now the extent of the devastation is becoming clear. Around 800 people have been killed, with hundreds still missing. Muhammad Hendra is involved in rescue efforts in Aceh Province.
MUHAMMAD HENDRA: Entire village have been submerged. Homes have been severely damaged or swept away. Many families have lost not only their homes, but also their farms, which were their main source of income.
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HANCOCK: Relief efforts have been slowed due to severely damaged infrastructure in some of the worst-hit areas.
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HANCOCK: Bridges have been swept away, roads are impassable, and many communities are without power. Local authorities have called for more government support to ensure that enough aid can be delivered. A spokesperson for the Indonesian president said the country's disaster relief budget is sufficient. Many survivors are now living in evacuation shelters where new problems are starting to emerge. Here is rescue worker Muhammad Hendra again.
HENDRA: There is an increasing risk of water-borne disease such as diarrhea due to contaminated water and poor sanitation condition in evacuation centers. People urgently need basic humanitarian assistance.
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HANCOCK: Indonesia isn't the only country in Asia that has been devastated by extreme weather in the past week. Floods have hit Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia with over 1,000 people killed. The extreme rain has been caused by three tropical weather systems, including a rare cyclone that formed close to the equator. Steve Turton is an adjunct professor of environmental geography at Australia's Central Queensland University. Whilst he blames climate change for the severity of these natural disasters, he also points to deforestation in Indonesia. Turton blames climate change for the severity of these disasters. Warmer air holds more moisture, which often makes rainstorms more intense. He also blames deforestation.
STEVE TURTON: There is a lot of illegal logging going on. You know, there's now nothing to protect the slopes. That's why we've had this terrible river flooding, flash flooding, but also lots of landslides.
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HANCOCK: These floods have shown just how vulnerable Asia is to the impacts of the changing climate. And with scientists predicting more of these extreme weather events, just how can at-risk countries better prepare? Well, Professor Turton says early warning systems are a necessity.
TURTON: It looks to me like there were some people had no idea this was coming. A lot of people must have gone to bed, a landslide came down, or the river flooded, and they drowned overnight.
HANCOCK: He says this disaster should be seen as a wake-up call, a reminder that the wider international community needs to invest in early warning systems so that the next time disaster strikes, residents aren't caught off guard. For NPR News, I'm Adam Hancock in Denpasar, Indonesia.
(SOUNDBITE OF 4FARGO SONG, "GET HER") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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