More than 2,000 evacuated in Malaysia's Pahang and Johor as floods worsen

Knee-high floodwaters inundated Pekan near Kuantan, including SK Pulau Manis. PHOTO: BERNAMA

KUANTAN - More than 2,000 people have been evacuated to flood relief shelters in Malaysia as a result of continuous rains in several states over the past few days.

The coastal areas of Pahang and Johor have been most affected, with Pahang recording the highest number of evacuees.

Continuous rain brought by the north-east monsoon over the past two days had worsened the flood situation in those states.

At least 1,457 people have been evacuated in Pahang as of Saturday (Jan 13), the national news agency Bernama reported. Those evacuated are being housed at 14 temporary relief centres.

The district of Pekan made up the most number of evacuees, with 1,210 people currently being housed at 10 relief centres. The districts of Rompin and Raub have also been hit by floods.

Over in Johor, at least 1,000 people have been evacuated so far. Most of them were from the districts of Segamat and Mersing.

In Mersing, some 965 people have been evacuated as of Saturday afternoon, compared to 530 in the morning. They are being housed at seven temporary relief centres.

In Segamat, there were 97 evacuees.

The situation in the state of Sabah improved on Saturday afternoon. All 10 evacuees affected by the rising water levels at the main river in Pitas district have since returned home.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department has issued a severe weather warning for several areas in Johor and Pahang until midnight.

Meanwhile, most of the states in peninsular Malaysia will experience temperatures lower than normal owing to overcast skies, continuous rain and a cold front from the north-east monsoon winds until Sunday.

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