Flooded areas in Sri Lanka. Record rainfall and floods in Southeast Asia claim hundreds of lives Climate and environment
Tropical cyclones that brought record rainfall and flooding have killed hundreds of people across large swathes of Southeast Asia, U.N. agencies said Tuesday. Massive destruction and displacement have also been reported.
Countries hardest hit include Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam, according to World Meteorological Organization (WMO) spokeswoman Claire Nullis.
“Asia is extremely vulnerable to floods,” Nullis said, noting that according to the WMO’s annual climate reports, floods top the list of climate risks in region.
However, she stressed that tropical cyclones like Cyclone Senyar, which last week brought “heavy rains, widespread flooding and landslides” to Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, rarely come so close to the equator.
“We see this infrequently, and the consequences are more serious because the local people … do not have this experience,” she stressed. injuries. In total, about 1.5 million people were affected in Indonesia, with 570 thousand forced to flee their homes.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement on Tuesday that the disaster has killed more than a thousand people in Southeast Asia overall. The UN chief is “deeply saddened” by the tragic events in the region.
“The Secretary-General expresses his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and expresses his solidarity with all those affected by these devastating floods,” said a statement issued on behalf of Guterres by his press secretary. rain.”
“Exceptional downpours in recent weeks have flooded historical sites, popular tourist resorts and caused enormous damage [to infrastructure],” she said.
Almost two meters of rain in 24 hours
At the end of October, a weather station in central Vietnam recorded a record daily rainfall of 1,739 millimeters.
“This is the second highest daily rainfall in the world,” Nullis said.
These data are now undergoing official verification by WMO. As the organization clarifies, a figure of over 1,700 mm will be an absolute record for Asia and the entire Northern Hemisphere. emergency situation.” Last week, Cyclone Ditwa made landfall on the country’s east coast. An estimated 1.4 million people are affected, including 275,000 children.
“There are communication problems, roads have become impassable, and the number of children affected is likely to be even higher,” Pires warned.
“Houses are washed away, entire communities remain isolated,” added he.
The UNICEF representative stressed that displaced families are forced to live in unsafe and overcrowded shelters, while flooding and damaged water supplies increase the risks of disease outbreaks.
“The needs [of victims] greatly exceed available resources,” Pires said, calling for additional humanitarian aid funding.
“It’s a Law of Physics”: Extreme Precipitation Will Intensify
Commenting on the intensity of destructive weather events, Nullis explained that rising temperatures “increases the potential risk of more extreme precipitation because a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture.”
“It’s a law of physics…We are seeing an increase in extreme precipitation events, and this will continue into the future,” she concluded.