Surviving the Sudden Surge: Stories from Asia's Flood Survivors

In the middle of the night, Aminah Ali, a 63-year-old from Indonesia's Aceh province, found herself in a nightmare. The rain started at midnight, and the water rose slowly at first. But then, a loud roar filled the air. Her village was suddenly underwater. With her son's help, she climbed onto her rooftop, where she stayed for 24 hours. The floodwaters were three meters high, and she watched as houses were swept away. Aminah's home is now ruined, filled with mud. She has lost almost everything. "I never imagined a situation like this, " she said. The monsoon season often brings heavy rains, but this was different. The floods have been devastating, killing more than 1, 100 people across the region. Busra Ishak, also from Aceh, lost his house to the floodwaters. He survived by swimming and holding onto a coconut tree for more than 12 hours. He described the current as incredibly strong, saying, "There were hundreds of tons of logs in the water, and even an elephant could be killed by the incredibly strong current. " His sister did not survive. He hasn't been able to tell his relatives outside the province because the electricity and phone lines are down. In Thailand, Natchanun Insuwano was stranded in Hat Yai, one of the hardest-hit areas. He waited waist-deep in water on the first floor of his flooded home. His parents balanced precariously through a window, leaning on metal roofing. He was too afraid to join them, worried the roof might collapse. For two days, Natchanun and his parents had only one bottle of water to share. He looked to the sky, hoping for a helicopter or drone to drop food. Nothing came. It rained all night, and they were cold and wet. He messaged every hotline he could find and posted on social media, asking for help. The Thai authorities have been criticized for not giving adequate warnings. By the time they advised residents to evacuate, it was too late. The water had already reached chest level. Natchanun was finally rescued by a volunteer boat. His mother was carried out on a stretcher and given first aid. They haven't returned home yet. The water hasn't been restored, and everything is covered in mud. Chutikan Panpit, also from Hat Yai, believes she is alive by a miracle. She was bitten by a Malayan pit viper while checking the water levels. The floodwaters were so high that she couldn't reach a hospital for 32 hours. The pain was worse than childbirth. She thought of her one-year-old son, who had just learned to say "mummy. " The current was so strong that rescuers told her to hold on tightly as they accelerated to move through the surges of water. The recovery and clean-up work needed is immense. Tens of thousands of homes are damaged. Debris is strewn in the streets. Many residents have lost almost all their belongings. The sound of rain is now enough to induce panic. On Sumatra, the largest Indonesian island, at least 11 bridges connecting different regions and sections of the national highway have been cut off. Some villages are still completely inaccessible by road. Even in areas that have been reached by recovery teams, local people say they do not have enough food or clean water. Many flood victims remain at rescue shelters, relying mostly on donors in the community for food and drinks. Others are trying to salvage what remains. Busra has gone to his brother’s home to try to clean and protect his valuables. He said, "This year’s flood is the worst tragedy in history. "