Govts rush aid to flood zones

At least 1,200 die in Sri Lanka, Indonesia

- 

Governments and aid groups in Indonesia and Sri Lanka yesterday worked to rush aid to hundreds of thousands stranded by deadly flooding that has killed around 1,200 people in four countries.

Torrential monsoon season deluges paired with two separate tropical cyclones last week dumped heavy rain across all of Sri Lanka and parts of Indonesia's Sumatra, southern Thailand and northern Malaysia.

Climate change is producing more intense rain events because a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, and warmer oceans can turbocharge storms.

The floodwaters have now largely receded, but the devastation means hundreds of thousands of people are now living in shelters and struggling to secure clean water and food.

In Indonesia's Aceh, one of the worst-affected regions, residents told AFP that survivors who could afford to were stockpiling supplies.