Very serious floods and landslides are causing destruction across Asia. Heavy monsoon rains, made worse by a cyclone, have killed more than 1,200 people in the past week. Around one million people have had to leave their homes.
The island of Sumatra in Indonesia is one of the worst-hit areas. There, more than 750 people have died in three provinces. The problems started after very heavy rain from Tropical Cyclone Senyar. In one village, strong flood water even moved a heavy electricity generator from a school building. This shows how the floods are damaging important infrastructure. Rescue teams are working hard, but broken roads and mudslides are making it difficult to reach people.
Scientists say these are not just normal weather events. Natural weather patterns created good conditions for storms. However, human-caused global warming is making the situation much worse. A warmer atmosphere can hold more water. This means storms now bring much heavier rain, which causes more dangerous floods and landslides. "Water, not wind, is now the main driver of disaster," says one climate scientist.
Right now, the most important thing is to help the displaced people and stop diseases. But for the future, scientists warn that severe floods will happen more often in this region if the world keeps getting warmer. This disaster shows that communities need to be better prepared. It also shows the world needs to act urgently on climate change.