PETALING JAYA: Continuous heavy rain alerts have been issued for the east coast cities in Kelantan and Terengganu.
Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) said the warnings were issued for Rompin in Pahang as well as Kluang, Mersing, Kulai, Kota Tinggi and Johor Baru in Johor, which are expected to see continuous rain until today.
“Jerantut, Kuantan and Pekan in Pahang as well as Kelantan and Terengganu are also forecast to experience continuous heavy rain until next Monday,” it said yesterday.
In view of this, the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) has ordered for the district and state levels of the Disaster Management Committees (JPB) in the affected areas to be activated in preparation for floods.
In a Disaster Operations Preparedness Notice issued yesterday, Nadma has called on the staff involved to ensure that relief centres are equipped with proper facilities and have sufficient supplies of relief items.
It also ordered for the on-scene control posts to ensure that the operational assets are in good condition and ready for deployment in cases of flooding.
“Nadma, through the National Disaster Control Centre, will constantly monitor the situation and the technical information parameters in collaboration with various agencies.
“The centre will always be ready to receive information on disasters, management and operational assistance via phone at 03-8064 2400, fax at 03-8064 2429, or email at opsroom@nadma.gov.my,” the statement read.
When contacted, Nadma urged residents in the affected areas to be prepared to take all the necessary precautions and actions in the event of a flood.
“Prepare an emergency bag with essential items, relocate to a high and safe place, do not allow children to play in floodwaters and to avoid touching any electrical equipment or wires,” it said in a written reply.
The agency also urged the residents to cooperate with the rescuers when asked to evacuate to relief centres.
According to MetMalaysia, there are three levels of warning for continuous rain – alert (yellow), severe (orange) and danger (red).
An alert warning will be issued for rain that is expected to last for one to three days, followed by severe (rain amount that exceeds 60mm within six hours) and danger (rain amount that exceeds 150mm within a 24-hour period).Meanwhile, at press time yesterday evening, data from the Irrigation and Drainage Department’s Public Infobanjir portal showed that the water at Sungai Keratong in Rompin, Pahang, had exceeded the warning level by 0.19m while Sungai Golok in Pasir Mas, Kelantan, recorded a water level of 8.87m, 0.87m above the warning level.
Other rivers where water had risen slightly above the warning level were Sungai Anak Bukit in Kota Setar, Kedah, and Sungai Bidor in Perak.
In Sarawak, the water at Sungai Similajau in Bintulu rose to 10.11m, 1.11m above the warning level while Tubau river in town and Tamin river in Sibu also saw a rise of water beyond the warning level.
The current rainy weather is due to the northeast monsoon season, which began on Nov 11 and is expected to last until March.
