PREP FOR A NATURAL DISASTER

Pick accommodation with disaster protocols, backup power and reliable infrastructure, and use real-time alert apps

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Villagers wading through the mudflow to find shelter in the aftermath of flash floods in Tukka village, Central Tapanuli, North Sumatra province in Indonesia, on Dec 3. Download early-warning tools such as local apps to track storms, floods and earthquakes abroad, which can give you additional reaction time. PHOTO: AFP

(PHOTO: AFP)

Various weather events, including the monsoon season in 2025, have triggered some of the most severe natural disasters Asia has seen in decades.

For travellers, such extreme phenomena are no longer just distant headlines. Tropical storms, earthquakes, wildfires and more can quickly derail itineraries and leave those unprepared stranded abroad.

Nanyang Technological University professor of coastal science Adam Switzer says such events are becoming more frequent and unpredictable, driven largely by climate change. He is also principal investigator at the Earth Observatory of Singapore, which conducts research on natural disasters and climate change in and around Southeast Asia.

"As our world and atmosphere heat up, our oceans are warming as well, and the increase in ocean heat capacity means that we'll probably get more intense tropical cyclones," he says, adding that cyclones draw energy from the heat of the ocean.

In late November, Cyclone Senyar tore through parts of Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, unleashing heavy rainfall that caused deadly flash floods and landslides. Across the region, more than 1,300 people were killed, and millions more displaced.

More than 800 Singaporeans who had e-registered with or contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) were able to return home safely after being caught in Thailand's flood-stricken Hat Yai city.

Among them was Mr Hubert Yeo, 28, who travelled to Hat Yai on Nov 23 to visit his girlfriend, who is a Thai doctor. He declined to reveal his occupation.