East Coast floods: More relief centres opened as numbers of evacuees rise in Kelantan, Terengganu

 

Flood victim Zahiyah Yahya, 46, wading through flood waters as she takes some of her belongings to a relief centre in Kemaman.

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Terengganu and Kelantan continued to record an increase in the number of flood evacuees while more temporary relief centres (PPS) were also opened as at 5pm Saturday (Dec 19).

In TERENGGANU, the number of evacuees rose to 5,776 people from 1,478 families at 4pm Saturday compared to 4,094 people from 996 families at 7am.

Terengganu State Disaster Management Committee Secretariat chief Lt Col (PA) Che Adam A Rahman said 13 more relief centres had been opened, bringing the total number of PPS operating in the state to 46.

"The worst affected district is Kemaman, where the number of evacuees rose to 4,729 people from 1,135 families compared to 3,698 people from 867 families this morning. However, the number of relief centres in Kemaman remains at 25, ” he said Saturday.

In Dungun, the number of evacuees also increased to 326 people from 95 families at seven PPS compared to 182 people from 57 families at four relief centres in the morning.

Che Adam said that in Hulu Terengganu, 710 people from 245 families had been placed at 13 PPS, an increase from the 212 people from 71 families at three PPS Saturday afternoon.

The number of evacuees in Setiu also increased to 11 people from three families compared to two families at one PPS earlier.

Meanwhile, the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) reported that five rivers in four districts had exceeded the danger level as at 4pm Saturday.

In Kemaman, Sungai Tebak at the Tebak Bridge had a reading of 19.55m (danger level 18.5m) while Sungai Kemaman in Air Putih was at 14.25m (danger level 14m).

Three rivers in Hulu Terengganu also exceeded the danger level, with Sungai Telemong in Kuala Ping at 20.58m (danger level 19.7m); Sungai Nerus in Kampung Bukit, Setiu at 13.23m (danger level 13.2m); and Sungai Dungun in Jerangau Bridge at 12.69m (danger level 12.5m).

In KELANTAN, the number of evacuees at 25 relief centres increased to 851 people from 233 families as of 5pm compared to 531 victims Saturday morning.

According to the state's Welfare Department online flood portal, of the three affected districts, Pasir Mas had the most number of victims, with 452 people from 139 families at nine shelters; followed by Kuala Krai (231 victims from 57 families at seven centres) and Tanah Merah (168 people from 37 families at nine centres).

The DID also reported that two rivers in Kelantan had exceeded the danger level as of 5pm Saturday.

Sungai Galas in Limau Kasturi, Gua Musang recorded a reading of above 6.0m (danger level 5.9m) while Sungai Golok in Rantau Panjang recorded a reading of 10.42m (danger level 10m).

Meanwhile, three rivers had exceeded the warning level, namely Kusial Baru in Tanah Merah at 15.16m, (danger level 15.1m); Sungai Kelantan in Kusial Tanah Merah (15.88m, danger level 14m); and Sungai Golok in Jenob Tanah Merah (23.3m, danger level 22.5m).

Another three rivers in the state had exceeded the alert level, namely Kg Sungai Nal, Kuala Krai (23.69m, alert level 23.5m); Sungai Kelantan at the Kota Baru Customs Jetty (3.33m, alert level 3m); and Sungai Golok in Kuala Jambu, Tumpat (2.01m, alert level 2m). - Bernama