Tropical cyclones have swept across the Asia-Pacific, killing over 1,000 people and causing widespread damage in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and now, Vietnam.
00:00For residents on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, shock and dismay.
00:07Days after cyclonic storm Senyar smashed into their homes.
00:11In Indonesia alone, 600 people are dead, and close to 500 are missing.
00:16And flooding has killed around 200 more in nearby Thailand and Malaysia.
00:25Cyclones don't normally form so close to the equator.
00:28And survivors like Rosmina are still surprised at how sudden the floodwaters came.
00:33Suddenly, someone ran from the garden.
00:37Come on, run, run, the big water is coming, he said.
00:41So I immediately ran to save my child.
00:43Get out of this house, save my child.
00:45The water from this house was already up to their knees.
00:53Not everyone was able to make it out in time.
00:55Mohamed Rais explains what happened to his family and their home.
00:59Now, nothing more than a plot of sludge.
01:02How many people lived here?
01:04There were 12 people here.
01:06Did everyone survive?
01:07No, we lost two.
01:08Who?
01:09My mother and mother-in-law.
01:11Southeast Asia isn't the only part of the continent facing shock and a massive clean-up.
01:21In Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, Cyclone Ditwa may have passed, but low-lying streets are still flooded, motorboats replacing cars in some places.
01:30More than 300 people are dead and over 200 more missing amid the flooding and mudslides.
01:37The country hasn't seen a storm like this in years.
01:40And the country's president says it's the largest natural disaster in Sri Lanka's history.
01:45That includes the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
01:48The flood this time isn't as massive as the one in 2016, but the water level is actually about seven feet higher than that.
02:01In Sri Lanka, the suddenness of the floodwaters took some people by surprise.
02:05In the night, things were normal.
02:08By the next morning, everything was underwater, including our house.
02:12Seven of us, including children, took refuge on the top floor.
02:16There are another 15 adults still there.
02:18Their houses are completely underwater.
02:22Meanwhile, yet another storm, Koh Tho, is approaching Vietnam, where it has already killed several people.
02:28It now threatens to cause more damage after weeks of heavy flooding in the country.
02:35And so, the devastation continues throughout Asia.
02:38With a large and growing death toll, homes and livelihoods damaged or destroyed, and a long and painful recovery still ahead.
02:45Dolphine Chen and John Van Trieste for Taiwan Plus.
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