Tragedy in Southeast Asia
Hazard & Disaster Log - SSCI 214
Southeast Asia happens to be one of the most disaster-prone regions across the entire globe, where millions of individuals experience a variety of natural hazards multiple times a year. This Asia-Pacific region faces every type of disaster imaginable, including tropical storms, earthquakes, flooding, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and landslides. Historically some of the most tragic events have occurred in this area, and this only continued in 2020 amidst the devastating global Coronavirus pandemic. It is important to learn and understand how vulnerable and at risk these citizens in Southeast Asian countries are, in order to more widely unify and provide needed support in the event of the next brutal natural disaster.
Flash Floods in Jakarta, Indonesia - January, 2020
In the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, the new year began with the heaviest rainstorm in over 20 years, causing extreme flooding and tragic landslides that killed 66 people in total. Being one of the largest urban districts in Asia, this caused a variety of severe problems for hundreds of thousands of the total population of around 30 million people. Parts of the city experienced more than a foot of rain and flood levels surpassing 5 feet, as portrayed in the background image. Normal city streets became rushing rivers with extreme current and destructive power. Within only a few days more than 400,000 people had been displaced from their homes, as over 100 rescue workers and military units flooded the region to rescue stranded citizens and clear flooded streets of debris and fallen electric wires. The nation's government blamed years of delays in infrastructure projects for flood control, along with ongoing issues in land accusation. While the abnormal rains played a significant factor, Indonesia's capital is only becoming more vulnerable to such hazardous events over time. Nearly 40% of Jakarta lies below sea level, allowing even ordinary rains to flood neighborhoods and devastate the local population. Factors such as illegally created wells and increasing climate change have made the capital the fastest sinking city in the world, making it vitally important to act sooner rather than later to make progressive change and protect the millions of people occupying the already extremely at risk location.
Before & after satellite imagery of the Taal volcanic eruption on January 12th, 2020.
Taal Volcanic Eruption, Philippines - January 12th, 2020
Less than two weeks after the powerful flash floods in Indonesia, the Taal volcano erupted in the Philippines after 43 years without any volcanic activity. The extreme spew of ash, gas and lava blanketed the surrounding landscape with unusually wet and heavy substance, greatly impacting local animal life and vegetation while also killing nearly 40 people. The very abrasive composition of rock and glass devastated vegetation and the local agricultural industry, damaging vitally important crops for the nation's economy such as coffee, corn, cacao and rice. The before image above dates back to December 6th, 2019, proving how drastically the spew of material from the eruption coated the entirety of the island. Further than simply vegetation, aquaculture markets were crushed as the extreme heat evaporated or drained much of the Taal lake for the time being. Tilapia and Milkfish populations were hit the hardest, with about 30% of aquaculture pens destroyed greatly affecting local business. Since a volcanic eruption imposes such an abrupt and immediate threat, tens of thousands of locals were forced to evacuate in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, many pets and livestock were left behind amidst the chaos. Compared to other natural disasters there is far less possibility in terms of preparation and evacuation, leaving residents of the region living in fear of the very dreadful natural hazard.
Typhoon Vamco, Philippines - November 12th, 2020
Much later in the year, the Philippines experienced yet another tragic event, as Typhoon Vamco made landfall on the northern island of Luzon and the greater Manila metropolitan area on November 12th. The storm had the equivalent strength of a Category 2 hurricane, though its impact was much more severe as it had been the third Typhoon and fifth tropical cyclone to hit the nation in a three week span alone. Extreme rain and winds of up to 105 miles per hour moved in overnight, as rivers swelled and submerged houses at a rapid rate. Local citizens of Marikina City in the capital region claimed that water levels rose over 3 feet in less than an hour, stranding Filipinos on rooftops and leaving more vulnerable elderly citizens, children and pets helpless. Trees had been uprooted, many neighborhoods experienced extreme flooding, crops had been waterlogged, and nearly 2 million households lost power. In this case, the Filipino populous was left outraged at the measures taken by their national government, as "Where is the President?" trended on twitter during and after the devastation. A signal 3 warning was issued in the early morning, however this was too late. After the destruction had already occurred, the government remained unable to provide statistics or answer questions regarding a lack of preemptive evacuations and efficient warning system. This very transparently shows the difficulty and lack of support provided in the event of a natural disaster in a country that is politically unstable with large amounts of unrest. It is the job of those more fortunate and less vulnerable to the horrifying events of the natural world to provide for and aid those less fortunate in these times of need.
Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake, Indonesia - May 27th, 2006
As the previous three events portray the deadliest disasters to impact the Southeast Asian region in recent years, it is also important to look back in history to understand the true severity and damage that may result from tropical storms or the shifting tectonic plates. To begin, on May 27, 2006 a magnitude 6.2 earthquake absolutely destroyed Yogyakarta, Indonesia and other surrounding communities. Typically in this region, earthquakes would occur deep under the Earth's surface where the Australia tectonic plate sinks and slides beneath the Sunda Plate. However, this case was fairly unusual, as the quake occurred just 10 kilometers below the Earth's crust. More than 6,000 people were killed, 16,000 more injured, over 60,000 homes destroyed and more than 200,000 individuals were displaced. With such a catastrophic outcome, the Indonesian government was forced to declare a 3 month state of emergency. It was estimated that somewhere between 70-80% of homes collapsed in Yogyakarta. Furthermore, water and electrical supplies were disrupted while transport and medical systems were incredibly overwhelmed. Red Cross and government organizations from a variety of nations responded instantly and continuously for a significant period of time, providing water, food, shelter and other basic necessities. As one of the most severe natural tragedies in recent history, it obviously warranted such great levels of support and outreach from foreign parties. Similar to volcanic activity, it is very difficult to predict and prepare for the spontaneous shaking of Earth's crust. A country such as Indonesia is again much more vulnerable to such a hazard than many other nation's, which is why there should always be an immense influx of resources and assistance from those more well off when such a horrible event occurs.
Typhoon Haiyan, Philippines - November, 2013
Years later in 2013, the Philippines experienced a very destructive natural disaster of similar magnitude to the Indonesian earthquake, as Typhoon Haiyan struck the island in November. The tropical storm had multiple severe characteristics, as it also happened to be one of the strongest cyclones ever recorded in the region. The storm composed of winds at nearly 200 miles per hour, dumped nearly a foot of rainfall in only 12 hours, and caused waves over 20 feet tall to batter the coast. Over 7,000 people were killed, more than 1.1 million homes were swept away, and around 6 million individuals were misplaced. Tacloban City was struck the hardest, where the government fell apart and widespread looting took place as society broke down amidst the chaos. Agricultural workers lost their sources of income as well as the fishing community, as rice, corn and sugar crops were destroyed along with over 30,000 fishing boats and equipment. Even more drastic, a lack of sanitation, shelter, medication, food and water increased the transmission of disease throughout the region. In total, it costed nearly $5.8 billion in rebuilding, and required an immense amount of support from international organizations. The Philippines is known to be a fairly poor country with little investment placed in the planning and protection from these tragic events, so external support was inevitable in this case to get back on track.
Overall, the purpose of this documentation of natural disasters that have occurred in Southeast Asia is not to place fear in the minds of citizens or simply recap past events, as it is to educate and inform individuals of the very scary and severe events happening across the world. In such a vulnerable and disaster-prone region these events often lead to inevitable pain and suffering, as those more fortunate on the other side of the globe are blinded of the reality and power of such outcomes. The more educated and knowledgeable we can be of the reality of natural disasters for much more vulnerable populations, the more we can donate, offer support, advocate for change and save more lives when the next intense natural disaster comes around.
Works Cited
Aljibe, Ted. 2018. “Philippines: Five Years after Typhoon Haiyan.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/nov/06/philippines-five-years-after-typhoon-haiyan .
Cabato, Regine. 2020. “Typhoon Vamco Batters the Philippines, Leaving 39 Dead and Millions without Power.” The Washington Post. WP Company. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/typhoon-vamco-manila-damage-flooding/2020/11/12/fe05667e-248d-11eb-9c4a-0dc6242c4814_story.html .
Red Cross, British. 2006. “Indonesia Earthquake Information Sheet - Update 06 Jun 2006 - Indonesia.” ReliefWeb. https://reliefweb.int/report/indonesia/indonesia-earthquake-information-sheet-update-06-jun-2006 .
Suhartono, Muktita, and Russell Goldman. 2020. “Flash Floods in Indonesia Leave Hundreds of Thousands Homeless.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/02/world/asia/indonesia-jakarta-rain-floods.html .
“Tropical Cyclones.” Bitesize. BBC. Accessed April 20, 2021. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z9whg82/revision/4 .
Voiland, Adam. “An Ash-Damaged Island in the Philippines.” Earth Observatory. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/146444/an-ash-damaged-island-in-the-philippines
