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

PADANG SIDEMPUAN, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s president told survivors of last week’s devastating floods that help was arriving to those in need Monday as Asian governments scaled up their responses to a disaster that has left more than 1,000 dead in three countries.

Hundreds more are missing following flooding and landslides in the past week, which killed at least 502 people in Indonesia, 334 in Sri Lanka and 170 in Thailand, authorities said.

Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto pledged to rebuild infrastructure while visiting areas impacted by floods and landslides on Sumatra island that left thousands homeless and 508 people missing as of Monday.

Some areas of Indonesia remained unreachable Monday after the disaster damaged roads and downed communications lines, with residents in impacted areas relying on aircraft delivering supplies. Flooding displaced 290,700 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 told reporters after visiting survivors. “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.”

Sri Lanka authorities said Monday that rescuers are still searching for 370 missing people. Nearly 148,000 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.

In Thailand, the first batch of compensation payments are set to be distributed Monday, beginning with 239 million baht ($7.4 million) for 26,000 people, government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat said.

Authorities on Monday worked to clean up streets and restore infrastructure including water and electricity in the southern part of the country where severe flooding affected more than 1.4 million households and 3.8 million people, he said.

The Interior Ministry will set up public kitchens to provide freshly cooked food for affected residents, he said.