Flooding recovery efforts underway in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand as death tolls rise

Recovery and aid efforts are underway in parts of Southeast Asia and South Asia where the full number of dead and missing are not yet known after heavy rains and flooding left a devastating toll in the past week.

The severe weather killed at least 469 people in Indonesia, 162 in Thailand and 334 in Sri Lanka, authorities said.

In Thailand, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Saturday outlined recovery and compensation plans for the southern part of the country, where the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitgiation said severe flooding in 12 southern provinces affected more than 1.4 million households and 3.8 million people.

Sri Lanka authorities said on Monday that rescuers are still searching for 370 missing people. Nearly 1,48,000 people are housed in temporary shelters after being battered in the past week downpours that flooded homes, fields and roads and triggered landslides, primarily in the tea-growing central hill country.

Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto on Monday pledged to rebuild infrastructure while visiting areas impacted by floods and landslides on Sumatra island that left thousands homeless and 474 people missing as of Monday.

Some areas of Indonesia remained unreachable on Monday after the disaster damaged roads and downed communications lines, with residents in impacted areas relying on aircraft delivering supplies. Flooding displaced 2,90,700 people in North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Aceh provinces, the National Disaster Management Agency said.

Prabowo, who visited North Sumatra on Monday and was expected to West Sumatra and Aceh during the day, said the government's response is reaching those in need.

“We need to confront climate change effectively,” Prabowo said. “Local governments must take a significant role in safeguarding the environment and preparing for the extreme weather conditions that will arise from future climate change.”