Meanwhile, Southeast Asia and South Asia are experiencing one of the worst floods crises in recent decades. This catastrophe, a disaster brought on itself by fire officials, is made even worse by anthropogenic climate change and extreme weather. And cyclonic storms have brought extremely heavy rains throughout the region. These unusual, catastrophic downpours have resulted in destructive floods, impacting millions and drowning over 300. Now, with the climate crisis accelerating, these areas even more fragile due to historical injustices struggle more than ever to rebuild and adapt.
The impacts are stark. Asia is currently experiencing warming nearly twice the global average rate. Countries across the entirety of Southeast Asia are currently battling to recover from historic and devastating flooding occurrences. The seasonal inundation came through with one-two punches of torrential rains and flooding. While not the most powerful this year, they still flooded already choked river basins. One meteorological station in central Vietnam measured an astounding 1,739 millimeters of rainfall within a 24-hour period. That impressive aggregate ranks as one of the most ambitious anywhere, given the short time frame.
The Storms and Their Consequences
The flooding in Southeast Asia was caused by several cyclones like Typhoon Koto that produced typhoon-like conditions in the Philippines. These intense rains led to devastating landslides and flooding in communities already hard hit by an extremely adverse weather compounded disaster.
Nawaz Nashra, a resident of the Philippines, described the moment the storm struck:
“We could only hear a sound like thunder.”
Unfortunately, his family wasn’t so lucky—he described the horror of seeing a neighbor’s home cave in with no time to alert them.
The effect was just as catastrophic in Indonesia, where the torrential flooding caused at least 883 deaths. Rescue teams are still battling to get to remote communities stranded by flooded-out highways and bridges. Hundreds more are unaccounted for, most likely washed away in the swift rushing waters or buried beneath piles of rubble.
Clare Nullis, a spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization, emphasized the severity of the rainfall:
“That’s really, really enormous. It’s the second-highest known total anywhere in the world for 24-hour rainfall.”
These storms, fueled by climate change, have caused a violent wake of death and destruction throughout all of Southeast Asia. This area was only beginning to heal from past deluges that killed at least 90 and devastated agricultural land and infrastructure.
Climate Factors at Play
These recent weather phenomena are being exacerbated by other, larger climate factors. La Niña and the negative Indian Ocean Dipole have combined to amplify conditions for heavier rainfall events. We’re paying for a world where intense precipitation is becoming both more extreme and more likely. These climatic conditions combined with atypical storm tracks to create anomalous impacts of extremes.
Joseph Basconcillo, a climatologist, explained the relationship between soil saturation and flooding:
“Once the surface was soaked, additional rain quickly turned into severe flooding.”
He further noted that vulnerable landscapes played a significant role in amplifying the damage caused by these storms:
“The combination of unusual storm tracks and vulnerable landscapes made the impacts far more extreme.”
With climate change increasingly supercharging our weather, experts from the federal government on down insist: now is the time to act. They call for more infrastructure investment, better land-use planning, and stronger early warning systems to prevent future catastrophes.
Ongoing Challenges and Human Tragedy
Areas in countries such as Sri Lanka are experiencing added stressors. They are doing their best to emerge from one of their most devastating fiscal crises in seven decades. The lack of resources significantly hampers their ability to fund infrastructure improvements or public health initiatives essential for disaster preparedness.
Davide Faranda added that residents are experiencing a relentless cycle of storms:
“This is a human tragedy. It’s multiple conditions happening at the same time, and that makes it rather unprecedented.”
Firstly, nations are still struggling with this vicious cycle. They need to address urgent recovery needs even as they lay the groundwork for future adaptation and mitigation to an unknown future.
“What we’re witnessing in Southeast Asia is a relentless cycle of storms: weeks of heavy rainfall during an extreme monsoon season, with record-breaking events happening time and time again.”
As nations grapple with this cycle, they face not only immediate recovery efforts but also long-term adaptation strategies to prepare for an uncertain future.
