Floods in Sabah worsen, two more districts affected

 

In Tampin, residents are seen wading in the flood January 1, 2022. — Bernama pic

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KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 — The flood situation in Sabah has worsened with 566 people from 182 families affected as Paitan and Beluran became the latest two districts hit.

In Paitan, 32 victims from seven families were evacuated while 30 more from eight families in Beluran were also displaced.

The Sabah Disaster Management secretariat, in a statement tonight, said the number of flood victims in Kota Marudu remained unchanged at 504 from 167 families tonight.

Two temporary evacuation centres (PPS) were opened in Paitan, namely Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Pamol, housing seven families from one family and the Kampung Binsulung hall (25 victims from six families).

 All flood victims in Beluran are currently being housed at the Kampung Balaban hall PPS, the secretariat said.

According to the secretariat, Kota Marudu has two relief centres open, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Tandek with 253 evacuees from 97 families and Sekolah Kebangsaan Teritipan with 251 evacuees from 70 families.

Meanwhile, continuous rain from noon till 4pm in Lahad Datu has caused the water level of Sungai Tengah Nipah to rise drastically and caused flash floods at Kampung Keliatan and Taman Khazanah Indah, which receded late this evening.

Beluran district police chief Supt Kasim Muda said water levels of 11 rivers in Beluran were reported to have risen, with three areas being affected by floods and several main roads being inundated.

The number of flood evacuees continues to rise in Johor and Melaka, while Pahang has been hit by a second wave of floods.

In Johor, evacuees in Segamat and Tangkak districts rose slightly to 1,167 people from 297 families as of 8 pm compared to 1,080 people from 271 families this evening.

State Health and Environment Committee chairman R. Vidyananthan said in a statement that one more relief centre was opened in Segamat, at Dewan Serbaguna Lagoh, bringing the total to 20 centres opened in two districts.

“The single relief centre in Tangkak, at Sekolah Agama Bandar Tangkak is sheltering 31 people from seven families from Kampung Sri Makmur,” he said.

He added that the water levels of two rivers in Segamat have exceeded the danger level, Sungai Segamat in Bandar Segamat with a water level of 9.82 metres (m) and Sungai Tangkak in Kampung Sri Makmur with a water level of 4.29 m.

In Melaka, the number of evacuees rose to 677 people from 173 families at 8 pm compared to 507 evacuees from 134 families at 4 pm.

Melaka Civil Defence Department (APM) director Lt Kol (PA) Cuthbert John Martin Quadra in a statement said all the victims have been evacuated to eight PPS in Alor Gajah at Balai Raya Gadek, Sekolah Rendah Agama (SRA) Jabatan Agama Islam Melaka (JAIM) Jelatang, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Seri Pengkalan, Surau Kampung Jeram, SMK Lubok China, SK Belimbing Dalam, SK Alor Gajah 1 dan SK Durian Tunggal.

“In Melaka Tengah, two PPS were opened in SK Krubong and SK Taman Merdeka while only one was opened in Jasin at SK Parit Penghulu," he said.

In Pahang, the State Disaster Management Secretariat confirmed that the second wave of floods have already started with several districts which had previously recovered from the first wave being flooded again, resulting in the reopening of relief centres.

A total of 155 victims were housed at 24 PPS in Maran, Bera, Lipis and Raub while in Rompin which was not flooded earlier is now affected.

Meanwhile, the PPS in Bentong, Temerloh and Pekan which were affected by floods since the middle of last December are still housing 1,542 victims who have yet to return home because their houses were either badly damaged or had not been cleaned.

The website ‘publicinfobanjir.water.gov.my’ reported that five rivers in the state were at danger level, with three of them in Lipis, namely Sungai Tanum in Chegar Perah, Sungai Kechau in Kampung Dusun and Sungai Lipis in Benta, besides Sungai Serting in Padang Gudang, Bera, and Sungai Luit in Maran.

In Negri Sembilan, the latest data through the National Disaster Control Centres’s (NDCC) portal under Nadma showed that as of 9pm, there were 1,363 victims involving 357 families placed at 14 relief centres in four districts, namely Jelebu, Jempol, Kuala Pilah and Tampin.

In Terengganu, the number of flood victims declined to 147 from 44 families tonight, compared to 165 from 49 families in the evening.

State Disaster Management Committee Secretariat chief Lt Col (PA) Mohd Rosman Abdullah said this was following the closure of a relief centre in Dungun late this evening.

"Three relief centres remain open at this point, namely two in Dungun and one in Kemaman.

“In Dungun, the relief centres are Dewan Orang Ramai Kampung Shukor (68 people from 20 families) and Dewan Orang Ramai Kampung Pasir Raja (69 people from 22 families) while in Kemaman, 10 people from two families are placed at a surau in Kampung Ban Ho,” he said.

The official flood portal of the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) informed that the Sungai Terengganu reading station at the drawbridge has exceeded the danger level tonight, at 1.85m (the danger level is 1.8m).

Three rivers in three districts have surpassed the warning level, namely Sungai Dungun in Kuala Jengai, Dungun; Sungai Nerus in Kampung Langkap, Setiu and Sungai Kemaman at the Paya Paman Pump House, Kemaman.

In Kelantan, the number of flood victims also recorded a decrease as of 9pm, with 308 people from 109 families compared to 331 evacuees from 115 families this evening.

According to the Welfare Department’s (JKM) Info Bencana application, five PPS have been opened, namely four in Kuala Krai and one in Jeli.

Meanwhile, DID through https://publicinfobanjir.water.gov.my, reported that no major river in Kelantan was at danger level and only four rivers recorded warning level readings, namely Sungai Kelantan in Kuala Krai, Sungai Kelantan in Rantau Panjang, Pasir Mas, Sungai Kelantan in Kusial, Tanah Merah and Sungai Golok in Rantau Panjang, Pasir Mas.

In Selangor, JKM’s Info Bencana application stated that there is no active PPS at the moment. — Bernama