Selangor Journal
A soldier walks past the flags of participating nations in the Asean Summit, as he guards an area ahead of the 42nd Asean Summit held in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, on May 8, 2023. — Picture by REUTERS

Asean region grapples with 28 disasters in fourth week of 2024

JAKARTA, Jan. 30 — The Asean region experienced 28 disasters in the fourth week of 2024, including floods, landslides, and wind-related incidents.

These calamities notably affected Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, according to the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre).

The AHA Centre’s weekly update highlighted that continuous heavy monsoon rainfall led to widespread flooding in Southern Mainland Southeast Asia.

Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency BNPB reported floods and wind-related issues in 14 provinces, with East Nusa Tenggara, Southwest Sulawesi, West Sumatra, Central Java, Yogyakarta, Bangka Belitung, North Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, West Java, East Java, Aceh, Riau, South Sumatra, and North Sumatra being the hardest hit.

Across the seas in Peninsular Malaysia, the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) reported extensive flooding across Terengganu, Kelantan, Pahang, and Johor.

Meanwhile, across the border in Thailand, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) reported flood impacts in Narathiwat Province in the Southern Region, affecting up to 755 families.

Adding to the region’s challenges, Indonesia’s meteorology agency recorded four significant earthquakes with a magnitude exceeding 5.0.

Additionally, the volcanology agency in Indonesia reported three volcanic activities, while the one in the Philippines reported four – during the said week.

— Bernama

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