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View all search resultsCyclone havoc signals heightened climate crisis, environmental destruction
Tropical Cyclone Senyar, which formed over the Malacca Strait, reached Sumatra’s mainland on Wednesday, unleashing extreme rainfall and strong winds that triggered severe flash floods and landslides across Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra.
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A man walks at an area hit by flash floods, following heavy rains in Malalak, Agam regency, West Sumatra, November 27, 2025. REUTERS/Rafdi Rahmadi (Reuters/Rafdi Rahmadi)
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once-rare tropical cyclone that killed more than 100 people and left dozens missing in Sumatra has delivered a stark warning on escalating climate risks, fueling urgent calls to curb destructive land use, restore forests and invest in long-overdue early warning systems.
Tropical Cyclone Senyar, which formed over the Malacca Strait, made landfall on Sumatra’s mainland on Wednesday, unleashing extreme rainfall and strong winds that triggered severe flash floods and landslides across Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra.
The cyclone intensified the monsoon-driven extreme weather seen in recent months. Although Senyar moved toward Malaysia by Thursday and rainfall had begun to ease, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned that extreme rain and strong winds would continue in northern and western Sumatra.
Harrowing destruction has unfolded across the three provinces. As of Friday afternoon, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported 116 deaths and 42 missing persons in North Sumatra, with more than 1,000 families displaced. Aceh reported 35 deaths, 25 missing and 4,846 displaced families, while West Sumatra recorded 23 deaths, 12 missing and 3,900 families forced from their homes.
Amateur footage showed buildings submerged or swept away by floodwaters, while landslides cut off roads and isolated communities. All three provinces have declared a two-week disaster emergency status.
Read also: Floods overwhelm Southeast Asia
On Friday, during a Teachers’ Day celebrations in Jakarta, President Prabowo Subianto acknowledged that some areas affected by the disaster were cut off, noting that helicopters sent to deliver aid had struggled to land.
