2014–15 floods in Southeast Asia and South Asia
| Date |
14 December 2014 – 2 January 2015 Durations by country
|
|---|---|
| Location |
 Indonesia Malaysia Sri Lanka Thailand
|
| Deaths | 75 killed |
14 December 2014 – 2 January 2015
Beginning on 14 December 2014, a series of floods from the northeast monsoon hit Indonesia,West Malaysia, Southern Thailand, and later Sri Lanka in South Asia. More than 100,000 people have been evacuated in Indonesia, 200,000 in Malaysia, and several thousand in Thailand. Floods are also affecting 1,100,000 in Sri Lanka.
Malaysian Meteorological Department National Weather Centre senior meteorological officer Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip attributed the flooding in northern Malaysia to the full moon and the presence of northeast monsoon winds blowing consistently across the South China Sea from November 2014 until March 2015. He noted that rivers overflowed when incessant rainfall caused water from the upstream to not reach the confluence. The Malaysian government has promised to undertake a thorough investigation to identify the real cause of this floods especially in the east coast when the floods have receded. The year's heavy rains were caused by a southeast monsoon blowing across the South China Sea, making the sea warmer than usual. Scientists have predicted that as climate change worsens, storm patterns will become less predictable and more severe. Massive development without care to the environment and drainage problems have been cited as contributing factors.
Various countries have been affected by floods with Malaysia topped the list of evacuees.
Heavy rains in North Sumatra caused flooding in most areas from 14 December, but as of 17 December the water was receding. On 19 December, another flood damaged 525 hectares (1,300 acres) of farmland in eight districts in Indragiri Hulu Regency, Riau. Hundreds of houses in the Bengkalis Regency of Riau were submerged waist-deep (1 metre (3.3 ft)), but the approximately 500 residents are still at home as there is no place to take refuge. The villagers cannot do anything because of a limited budget. In the Tamiang district of Aceh, flooding forced about 28,000 people to take shelter on higher ground. A total of 94,500 people have taken refuge in Aceh as of 27 December. As of 27 December, about 100,000 people had been evacuated nationwide, with the number of patients seeking treatment at command posts still increasing.
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