Ecowatch: When climate aid falls short

Hat Yai, the holiday destination in southern Thailand that Malaysians flock to, was also affected by Cyclone Senyar, leaving hundreds to find any refuge they could from rising waters. — Photo from What to do in Phuket Facebook page

SOME two months after Cyclone Senyar unleashed its fury over the Straits of Malacca in November 2025, scenes of destruction are still coming out of Aceh in Sumatra.

Images of piles of debris, people wading through mud-choked streets, and scores of villages flattened by landslides are not only heart-wrenching but also so shocking that people are talking about how this is the second worst natural disaster to hit Aceh after the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004.