Heavy rains and flash floods force over 1,000 people to be evacuated in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: More than 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes after heavy rainfall caused flash floods in several states, reported Malaysian media.

Heavy rains in western and northern parts of peninsula Malaysia since Wednesday (Oct 20) caused severe floods in Melaka, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah and Perak, forcing hundreds of families to be evacuated to temporary relief centres.

In the worst-hit areas in Melaka, 590 victims from 155 families had to be evacuated to nine centres after their homes in Central Melaka, Jasin and Alor Gajah were affected by floods, said  Civil Defence Force director Cuthbert John Martin Qudra, according to Bernama.

In Selangor, 267 victims were evacuated to four relief centres after nine areas in Sepang, Salak Tinggi and Shah Alam were inundated by flash floods, according to the state Fire and Rescue Department.

Some 200 residents who were evacuated to a centre in Sepang had to undergo COVID-19 screening test as one of the victims was found to be COVID-19 positive, reported Berita Harian.

A relief centre had to be opened in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan after floods at Kampung Permatang Pasir forced 25 victims to be evacuated.

Another nine victims had to be evacuated in Nilai while five from Rembau were taking shelter at their relatives’ houses.

In the northern states of Kedah and Perak, about 176 people were evacuated after their homes were flooded.

Some 162 victims from 39 families in Kuala Muda, Kedah, were sent to three relief centres. 

They had to be relocated after flood water between 0.3m and 1m high entered their homes, reported Astro Awani, quoting Kedah Civil Defence Force’s disaster management team.

In Perak, 14 people from three families were sent to a temporary centre in Taiping. 

On Wednesday, Johor Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar criticised some residents in the state for disposing of their waste into the drainage network, leading to floods in various parts of Johor Bahru over the last month.

In a Facebook post, he said investigations conducted by the Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) have revealed that flash floods which hit many areas of JB city over the last month were due to clogged drainage systems brought about by ”rubbish and construction waste”.

“It is due to the attitude of some people who like to throw garbage into rivers, ditches and drains. When it rains in large amounts and for a long period of time, then flash floods are inevitable,” said the Johor ruler.