Floods expected in Kelantan, Terengganu

Several areas in the east coast states of Kelantan and Terengganu are expected to be flooded from Thursday to Friday, said Malaysia's Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) yesterday.

The flood prediction was issued by the DID following a warning by the Malaysian Meteorology Department for the Dec 25 to 31 period.

In its statement, the DID said there will be risk of flooding in both states between 8pm on Thursday and 8am the next day, following an expected rise in water levels above the danger level at several rivers.

Meanwhile, fewer flood evacuees sought shelter in relief centres across five Malaysian states yesterday, compared with the day before.

In total, 35,076 people from 10,348 families took shelter yesterday, down from 54,532 evacuees on Christmas Day.

According to the Welfare Department's Info Bencana mobile application, the central Pahang state remains the worst hit, with 17,761 people from 5,469 families displaced, while Selangor came in second, with 16,512 individuals from 4,628 families.

In Kelantan, 633 flood victims are being housed at several relief centres, while in Melaka and Negeri Sembilan, 29 and 141 people respectively, are taking shelter in such centres.

To lessen the household financial burden, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that a one-off 100 per cent rebate for this month's electricity bill will be given to domestic customers affected by the floods. He added that a special task force for post-flood activities and preparation for the second wave of floods will be set up to improve coordination.

"This post-flood work needs proper coordination as I do not want delay in the implementation process, including in providing assistance to flood victims. We also need to be prepared for the second wave of floods, if it happens," he told reporters in Hulu Langat yesterday.

Last Wednesday, rain raised water levels in some parts of Selangor, in what has been called the heaviest rainfall in the past 100 years.

As at yesterday, 47 people have died due to the floods, while five others are still missing.

Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said Selangor recorded 25 fatalities, while 19 people died in Pahang and three in Kelantan. "Fatalities in Selangor involved 17 men and eight women, in Pahang 13 men, four women and two boys," he said in a statement yesterday, adding that two men and a girl died in Kelantan.

Despite the situation improving, Malaysians continue to express their anger at the government for its handling of the floods.

Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had previously blamed Malaysians for not taking weather forecasts seriously. Last Friday, he said the public's attitude resulted in many being unprepared for the natural disaster.

Social media was immediately abuzz with hate comments directed towards the Parti Islam SeMalaysia deputy president, saying he should not shift the blame. Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim announced on his Facebook page yesterday that he has tested positive for Covid-19.

Facebook user Azhari Misban Azri said that if the government was already aware of the severity of the impending floods, then it should have mobilised the relevant agencies at least two days prior to the incident.

"Instead, the victims were stranded for several days after the floods. Only then do they (the politicians) come. Yet, the people are blamed again," he said, as reported by local news site The Star.

Chiming in, Umno vice-president Mohamed Khaled Nordin reminded the government that Malaysians will not forget its weaknesses in handling the disaster.

The former Johor menteri besar said the catastrophic floods were due to the impact of climate change, adding that it was painful to see the loss, destruction and misery many Malaysians went through.

"The government must learn a lesson, that its weaknesses in managing the crisis will not be easily forgotten by Malaysians," he said in a Facebook post yesterday.

The Department of Minerals and Geosciences yesterday said a total of 46 landslide locations have been reported in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur to date, with nine of them categorised as critical.

Mitigation measures taken include covering the collapsed areas with tarpaulin sheets and monitoring any further soil movement.