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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 176 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.
He 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 1.5 million households and 3.9 million people.
The Interior Ministry will set up public kitchens to provide
freshly cooked food for affected residents, he said.
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