REGIONAL SUMMARY:
In the twelfth week of 2025, the ASEAN region faced a series of 32 disasters, including floods, landslides, storms, and wind-related incidents that affected Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. According to Indonesia’s Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNPB), significant impacts were reported in North Sulawesi, North Sumatra, Central Java, West Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara, Lampung, Central Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara, East Java, West Java, North Maluku, South Sulawesi, Bangka Belitung, Maluku, and East Kalimantan. In Malaysia, Agensi Pengurusan Bencana Negara (NADMA) reported flooding in Johor, Sabah, and Sarawak. Lastly, in the Philippines, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported flooding and landslides in Eastern Visayas and Northern Mindanao.
HIGHLIGHT:
In the Philippines, severe weather systems have brought persistent, heavy rainfall that resulted to flooding and landslides in several regions. In Eastern Visayas, the Shear Line brought continuous heavy rainfall which caused landslide and flooding incidents that resulted to impassable roads and damaged houses. These incidents affected a total of 174.2K people (49.3K families) in 257 barangays in Eastern Samar, Leyte, Tacloban City, Northern Samar, and Samar. The number of displaced population reached a total of 7.5K people, of which 1.6K were served in at most 27 evacuation centres. Based on the report of the DSWD as of 23 March at 1700 HRS UTC+7, about 1K people remained displaced, of which 263 were being served in eight evacuation centres.
Authorities have immediately mobilized assistance to the affected families while continuously monitoring the situation and conducting assessments in the affected areas.
HYDRO-METEO-CLIMATOLOGICAL:
For the past week, data from the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) indicated medium to high 7-day average rainfall across the Maritime Continent, which includes Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, and Malaysia, central and southern Philippines, and Singapore. As of this report, a tropical disturbance (INVEST 92S), located approximately 625 km southwest of Denpasar, Indonesia, is being closely monitored and assessed for its potential development into a tropical cyclone (BMKG, JTWC.
GEOPHYSICAL:
Nine (9) significant earthquakes (M>5.0) were recorded by Indonesia’s Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika (BMKG) and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS). Mount Ibu (alert level III), Dukono (alert level II), Lewotobi Laki-laki (alert level IV), Ili Lewotolok (alert level II), Semeru (alert level II), and Marapi (alert level II) in Indonesia, and Kanlaon (alert level 3), Taal (alert level 1), and Mayon (alert level 1) volcanoes in the Philippines reported recent volcanic activity according to Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG) and PHIVOLCS.
OUTLOOK:
According to the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC), for the coming week, wetter conditions are predicted over much of the Maritime Continent. Meanwhile, warmer conditions are predicted over parts of the eastern equatorial region. For the regional assessment of extremes, there is a moderate increase of extreme warm conditions over southern Myanmar. There is also a small increase in chance of extreme warm conditions over western and southern Borneo, Sulawesi, Maluku Islands and Papua. La Niña conditions are now present. La Niña conditions tend to bring wetter than average conditions to much of the ASEAN region during the intermonsoon period.
Sources:
ASEAN Disaster Monitoring & Response System (DMRS); ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC); Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC);
Indonesia: BNPB, BMKG, PVMBG;
Malaysia: NADMA;
Philippines: NDRRMC, DSWD, PHIVOLCS;
Various news agencies.
