Floods Hit Malaysia Again Causes 27,000 People Evacuated, One Dead
VIVA – More than 27,000 people have been evacuated in the Malaysian states of Johor, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, and Melaka when their homes were hit by big floods because of the heavy rain.
According to the national news agency Bernama, Johor was the hardest hit state as more than 25,000 people were evacuated to relief centers, as of Thursday. It is one person died when his car was swept away by floodwaters.known.
“Segamat is the worst affected district with 2,050 families evacuated to 55 relief centers, followed by Kluang with 1,559 families at 39 centers; Kota Tinggi with 769 families at 18 centers; Johor Bahru with 607 at 12 centers and Pontian involving 58 families at five centers,” Bernama quoted a statement from the Johor State Disaster Management Committee.
Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi said an emergency meeting with all agencies was held on Wednesday following a flood situation in the state. He said the meeting was informed about the situation in Segamat, particularly in Chaah, Pemanis, Tenang, and Labis.
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- VIVA/M Ali Wafa
“I have asked the agencies involved to manage the logistics for the delivery of tents and retort (ready to eat) food to the affected area,” Ghazi said in a Facebook post following the meeting.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department predicted on Thursday that rain will hit parts of Johor from Thursday afternoon to Friday night, March 3, 2023.
According to the Department of Drainage and Irrigation (DID), water levels in 16 rivers in Johor had exceeded the danger level, as of 11 am local time on Thursday.
The two rivers that exceeded the danger level the most, Sungai Lenik and Sungai Gemas, are located in Segamat and have breached the danger level by 2.5m and 1.96m respectively. Just three months ago, several states including Johor were hit by major floods and more than 70,000 flood refugees were recorded.
As information, the country is experiencing its sixth episode of continuous heavy rain from the annual monsoon season that started in November, the Meteorological Department said, warning it could drag on until April.
