Flooding and Landslides Kill Over 150 in Indonesia and East Timor
Cyclone Seroja hit Indonesia and East Timor on April 4, resulting in torrential rains and landslides. (Zoom Earth)
Flash floods and landslides caused by Cyclone Seroja slammed into Indonesia and East Timor on April 4, resulting in more than 150 dead with dozens more wounded and missing. More than 86 were killed in Indonesia, and more than 27 were killed in Dili, the capital city of East Timor. Although they have not been officially recorded yet, more than 130 deaths have also been reported in a remote cluster of islands near East Timor.
More than 10,000 people in Indonesia and 7,000 in East Timor had to flee the path of Cyclone Seroja. However, the evacuees are quite spread out and many even chose to stay at home. Houses, buildings, and even entire villages have been destroyed due to the cyclone, leaving many homeless and without public facilities. Furthermore, the more remote islands that were directly hit do not have enough surgeons and other healthcare professionals to care for survivors, many of whom have broken bones.
The flooding, mudslides, and landslides were triggered by torrential rains and strong winds from the Category 2 cyclone, which hit the East and West Nusa Tenggara provinces of Indonesia and East Timor on its course to Western Australia. Waves from the cyclone have reached up to 20 feet high in the southern part of the province and in the Indian Ocean.
On the Indonesian island of Adonara, the cyclone triggered mudslides in the Lamenele village that covered dozens of homes in mud. The Lewotolok volcano on the neighboring island of Lemata also shed solidified lava as a result of the cyclone, agitating a rockslide that buried many. In East Timor, the cyclone caused dams to break and overflow as well, leading to prolonged flooding. According to Dwikorita Karnawati, the head of Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency, the effects of this cyclone, such as waves that surpass 10 feet, are predicted to last until Friday.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo quickly ordered the military, police, and Indonesia’s national disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) to go to stricken areas and assist in rescue efforts. He has also mobilized disaster relief efforts in the areas of healthcare assistance and infrastructure reparation. However, dozens are still missing, buried under mud or debris from landslides. Rescue work has been further hampered by power cuts and blocked roads. Continual bad weather and powerful currents around East Timor are slowing down the rescue process as well. Rescue teams are using rubber boats to recover bodies swept out to sea, but authorities are worried that they do not even know the extent of the damage due to the remote location of many affected islands.
Indonesia, an archipelago country, experiences severe flash floods and landslides during the annual rainy season. More than 125 million Indonesians live in areas at great risk of landslides. Furthermore, Indonesia’s location on the Pacific Ring of Fire makes it particularly susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis. Environmentalists say that these disasters are often caused by massive deforestation in Indonesia. This adds to preexisting worries for a future in which climate change will inevitably lead to more extreme weather disasters around the world.