Lesthia Kertupati

Lesthia Kertupati, a senior journalist with BBC Indonesia, shares her insights on the catastrophic flooding in Indonesia. She paints a harrowing picture of devastation in Sumatra with over 800 deaths, submerged villages, and destroyed infrastructure. Relief efforts are hampered by damaged roads, forcing volunteers to traverse great distances to deliver aid. Lesthia also discusses the escalating health and sanitation crises in overcrowded shelters and connects the storm's severity to climate change and deforestation, emphasizing urgent calls for national disaster status.