More than 1,000 in Kedah evacuated over floods

Kedah evacuated 1,025 people to 21 relief centres by this afternoon after floods hit several areas of the state following heavy rain since yesterday evening.

Civil Defence state director Mohd Zul Khairi Shamsuddin said the evacuees were from the Kuala Muda, Yan and Kulim districts.

Ten relief centres were opened in Kuala Muda namely at the Kampung Bongkok surau (housing 60 evacuees), Kampung Tengah Padang hall (eight), Teang Wam Kowang hall (23), Kampung Padang Tok Sorak hall (72), Kampung Bukit Belah Batu Dua hall (19), Taman Bedong Jaya hall (80), Taman Malinja surau (20), Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Gedong (33), Kampung Segantang Garam hall (15) and Kampung Kilang Makau (19).

Four centres were opened in Yan, namely at a Kemas kindergarten in Kampung Perigi (16), Kampung Teroi Bukit surau (72), Kampung Lubok Boi surau (24) and Kampung Kepala Bukit surau (46).

Kulim district saw the setting up of seven relief centres, namely at Masjid Sungai Seluang hall (147), Taman Saga hall (36), Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Selasih (197), Al-Muqtadin hall (63), Taman Kancil surau (40), Kampung Naga Lilit (two) and Masjid Sungai Limau hall (33).

Mohd Zul Khairi said three more relief centres were opened, but the number of evacuees had yet to be ascertained.

These were the halls in Kampung Sungai Pasir and Kampung Lebai Ali in Kuala Muda and the Al-Haq surau in Kulim.

“The number of evacuees is expected to rise as rain continues to fall and the levels of rivers are rising,” he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Kuala Muda district police chief Saifi Abdul Hamid said in a statement that the stretch of the North-South Expressway at KM93.3, which had been flooded, was reopened to traffic at 10.15am.

- Bernama