A Asia affected by deadly cyclone Rising floodwaters in the southern Thai city of Hat Yai left the home in disarray, with outside help, including a helicopter dropping supplies on the roof, helping Wasana Suthi try to keep a nursing home open last week.
The city of Hat Yai is one of hundreds of communities suffering from a combination of cyclonic storms and monsoon rains that have caused deadly flooding and landslides from Indonesia to Sri Lanka.
At least 1,250 deaths have been reported across the region, according to CNN figures from national disaster agencies. Hundreds are still missing, and more than a million people are displaced.
As rescuers dig through mud and debris and struggle to restore ties with communities shattered by the devastation, officials say the death toll could rise.
Hat Yai, a major transportation and trade center in Thailand’s Songkhla province, was flooded with up to eight feet of floodwater. The flood trapped Suthi, her husband and 10 staff and patients – some of whom are bedridden – inside, and faced a terrifying situation.
“It rained so much that you couldn’t leave the house,” Suthi said.
First, the rain flooded the ground floor, forcing Suthi and her husband to move the terrified residents upstairs. Then the main power supply was cut off due to flooding, forcing them to switch to batteries to run the remaining oxygen tanks.
Like others in Hat Yai, Suthi and her staff tried to keep things going by working by candlelight for days.
From the terrifying, crowded sky above, a Thai Army helicopter dropped food supplies onto their roof, their only contact with the outside world during the flood ordeal.
When the waters receded over the weekend, they left the streets filled with mud and debris strewn everywhere.
“When I saw people lining up on the road to get food, some people were looking for their lost relatives, cars were lying abandoned on the roads. It was almost like a scene from a movie, as if there was an apocalypse,” Suthi said.
She and her staff are busy clearing the debris, but one major concern haunts her.
“Now I’m more concerned about liquid food for my patients. Because we have to feed them through the nose, it’s very difficult to find them (liquid supplies) in my area.”
Of the 181 deaths from flooding in Thailand, most occurred in Songkhla province in Hat Yai.
Hundreds of people missing in flood waters.
Heavy rains have also been reported in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.
In Indonesia, 744 people were killed and 551 were missing after deadly Cyclone Senyar caused devastating landslides and flooding on the island of Sumatra, which is famous for its lush rainforests, active volcanoes and critically endangered orangutan population.
Nearly a thousand miles away on the other side of the Indian Ocean, the island of Sri Lanka is suffering from another deadly cyclone, Ditvaah, which brought the worst flooding to the country in a decade, according to a Reuters report.
The death toll on the island, famous for its beaches and popular with foreign tourists, has risen to 465 people, while 366 people are missing, according to the country’s Disaster Management Center.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday that military helicopters and ships have been deployed from neighboring India to assist in rescue operations and distribute humanitarian supplies.
The statement said its air force rescued citizens from Sri Lanka, India, Germany, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Poland, Belarus, Iran, Australia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
According to Islamabad’s National Disaster Management Authority, India’s arch-rival Pakistan has also sent its military team to Sri Lanka to help with rescue operations.
After returning to Thailand, Suthi is left to pick up the pieces and think about how bad the rains could be next season.
“It’s never been this serious. But this year, everyone is saying the same thing: It was like a tsunami.”
Satellite images captured the devastation in South Asian countries after the storm brought entire provinces to a standstill. The death toll in the four affected countries is close to 1,200.
Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia have been hit by devastating floods, while governments and aid groups are scrambling to rescue millions of stranded people, while tropical deadly cyclones have wreaked havoc across South Asia. The death toll in the four affected countries is close to 1,200.
The floods were caused by two separate cyclones, Senyar and Ditvaah, which brought torrential rains to the region. Satellite images capture devastation across countries after storms paralyze entire provinces.
The Indonesian government said on Monday it was sending 34,000 tons of rice and 6.8 million liters of cooking oil to Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra as residents face supply shortages.
In Sri Lanka, Cyclone Ditva caused flash floods and devastating landslides. At least 390 people have lost their lives, while more than 350 are missing.
