Thursday February 28, 2013

5,027 flood victims evacuated in four states

Wet, wet, wet: Residents wading through flood waters in Kampung Cerang Meliling in Terengganu as others ride on top of four-wheel drive vehicles. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR: Up to 5,027 people have been evacuated in Terengganu, Kelantan, Perak and Selangor due to floods, which have worsened overnight in the east coast states of Terengganu and Kelantan.

The number of evacuees jumped from 1,046 people in the four states on Wednesday.

Terengganu is the worst-affected by the third wave of floods this year in the east coast, which has sent 3,679 people to 44 evacuation centres in the Besut, Dungun, Hulu Terengganu and Setiu districts.

The flood portal of the National Security Council reported that as at 10am yesterday, the flood situation in Kelantan had worsened and 1,036 people had been moved to 19 relief centres in the Kota Baru, Tanah Merah, Pasir Puteh, Kuala Krai and Bachok districts.

There has not been much difference in the situation in Perak and Selangor compared to last night.

In Perak, 297 people were being accommodated at seven relief centres in the Manjung, Perak Tengah and Larut Matang districts.

In Selangor, 15 people had been evacuated to a relief centre in Sepang.

Running aground: A car slips into a drain as flood waters rise in Kampung Padang Luas, Besut. — Bernama

The portal also reported that Jalan Rantau Panjang-Panglima Bayu in Kelantan and Jalan Sungai Lalang from Semenyih to Hulu Langat and Jalan Sungai Tekali in Hulu Langat in Selangor were closed to traffic.

The floods that hit Kelantan yesterday claimed the lives of two teenagers in Machang.

In BESUT, floodwaters washed away parts of Zakaria Ibrahim's house and a grocery shop, belonging to Abdul Razak Abas, in Kampung La, Hulu Besut, yesterday.

Sections of the buildings, located by the main road between Jerteh and Keruak and close to Sungai Besut, were moved some 30m by the fast-flowing floodwaters.

Hulu Besut assemblyman Nawi Mohamad said: “The occupants of the house managed to escape while the retailer had already moved to a relief centre,” he said, adding that the floods forced the evacuation of 250 people from the village.

Besut District Education Officer Ab Halim Hassan said 15 schools, many of them in Hulu Besut and Jerteh, had to close yesterday. Four were secondary schools.

In IPOH, a flash flood hit two villages in two districts, forcing about 180 people to seek shelter at temporary relief centres.

A Civil Defence Department operations room spokesman said the water level at Kampung Padang Serai in Manjung and Parit 6 Layang-Layang Kiri in Perak Tengah had yet to recede since the flood hit on Monday.

“We have 21 families seeking shelter at the Kampung Padang Serai community hall while 28 families are temporarily staying at the Parit Layang-Layang Kiri multi-purpose hall.”

News

Thursday February 28, 2013

5,027 flood victims evacuated in four states