INDONESIA: TYPHOON KILLS 900

Written by Michael Thervil

INDONESIA: TYPHOON KILLS 900 | PHOTO BY CNN

[Typhoon kills 900 Indonesia] With well over 900 people killed, well over 1,000 people missing, combined with an estimated 100,000 homes being destroyed due to the excessive flooding brought on by a typhoon in the Malacca Strait last week; Indonesian citizens that have been adversely affected by the storm are left in grief and disbelief that they are still having to deal with situations like this in 2025. This typhoon comes on the heels of the previous typhoon that struck the following southeast Asian countries of Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand. Looting and various other crimes have also been reported.

The hardest hit location in Indonesia was Aceh Tamiang and Sumatra. Villagers were forced to watch their all their belongings and their entire village to be swept away by the typhoon. Of those homes and structures that were strong enough to withstand the typhoon, it served as a makeshift shelter of last resort as citizens retreated from the extreme flooding to the top of those last remaining structures. To date, those same citizens are still waiting to be rescued. Those that could be evacuated were evacuated via boat and other life saving measures. The aggressive flooding produced not only huge amounts of mud but mud pits that were measured to be waist deep; but it triggered several landslides as well.

While the Indonesian government is doing all they can to deliver much needed supplies, aid, necessities, and medical care; the toll of the typhoon has made it exceptionally difficult to reach many people that happen to be in certain areas that have been ravaged by the typhoon. It was reported that land access to Central Tapanuli and Sibolga Cities have been shut down. With land access being shut down it has also adversely impacted on the time it would take to deliver aid to those that are hit the hardest by the typhoon and flooding. As for now the only way for the Indonesian government to get supplies, aid, necessities, and medical care is by either sea or air.