Southeast Asia responds to worst cyclone with recovery package as death toll rises

Officials in flood-hit parts of Indonesia reported shortages of food, shelter, and medicine as the death toll reached 950 Monday following weeks of heavy rain. A slew of tropical storms and monsoon rains has pummelled Southeast and South Asia, triggering landslides and flash floods from the rainforests of Indonesia’s western Sumatra island to the highland plantations of Sri Lanka. ‘Everything is lacking, especially medical personnel. We are short on doctors,’ said Muzakir Manaf, governor of Indonesia’s Aceh province. ‘Basic necessities are also important. It’s not just one or two items.’ Indonesia’s national disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said 950 people in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra had been killed, while 274 were missing. The downpours and subsequent landslides injured at least 5,000 people and devastated infrastructure. Hospitals, schools and offices are in ruins, while many bridges have been destroyed, cutting off communities. Costs to rebuild after the disaster could run up to 51.82 trillion rupiah ($3.1 billion), the BNPB said late Sunday.