Waterlogged: Pang Leh Sua sitting in his flooded living room at Bagan Hailam in Klang. — KK SHAM/ The Star
PORT KLANG: No evacuations around here are necessary following the king tide occurrence, says the Fire and Rescue Department.
Head of Zone 3 (Klang) of the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department Mohd Yunus Ibrahim said the monitoring of several areas identified as likely to be affected by the phenomenon showed that the situation remained stable, with the sea beginning to recede at around 7am yesterday.
“Six fire stations are involved in this monitoring, and our focus is on assessing whether this phenomenon significantly impacts the local community,” he told Bernama.
The overflow from the high tide began around 4.30am, causing several villages and roads along the route from the North Port passenger terminal to be flooded, but the waters receded completely by about 8am.
Meanwhile, a Bernama survey at Kampung Nelayan Bagan Hailam found that residents had taken precautions by securing important belongings over the past two days.
A resident known as Ah Soon, 59, noted that this high tide was among the highest recorded, noting that the Oi Koon Drama Association Hall, which had never experienced flooding, was affected this time.
“The hall was raised to prevent water from entering, but it did not work today. Fortunately, we were prepared,” he said.
Another resident, Lim Meng Mei, 17, said she and her family noticed the water rising around 5.50am but were not severely affected as they had made early preparations.
“Thanks to those who shared warnings about this phenomenon on social media, we were able to prepare in advance for any possibilities,” she said.
Previously, Selangor infrastructure and agriculture committee chairman Izham Hashim advised residents in coastal areas of the state to remain vigilant in facing the king tide, which is expected to continue until tomorrow.
He noted that sea levels today and tomorrow were projected to be 5.7m and 5.5m, respectively.
The king tide is also expected to occur around Lahad Datu in the east coast of Sabah, with authorities there on standby.
The Lahad Datu disaster management committee announced that its district disaster control operation centre (PKOB) had been activated to deal with incidents arising from the event.
District officer Firuz Idzualdeen @ Benetty Mohd Dzul said detailed preparations were taken following an alert from the Survey and Mapping Department on its website.
“To ensure the safety of the local community, the Lahad Datu PKOB has been activated as an early measure to handle any eventuality that could happen,” he said yesterday.
“Among the areas that could be hit are Kampung Silam, Kampung Air @ Puyut, Kampung Sabah Baru, Kampung Desa Bajau, Kampung Dasar Baru, Kampung Tanjung Paras, Kampung Taruakan and Kampung Lok Bikin,” he said.
Firuz, who is the district disaster management chairman, advised the people to monitor the latest development through official channels and immediately contact the authorities in the event of an emergency, with the Lahad Datu PKOB reachable at 089-880 991.
