Floods: Situation in Terengganu and Kelantan improves

KUALA TERENGGANU: The flood situation in Terengganu and Kelantan continues to improve, with the weather reported to be fine and more evacuees having returned home.

In Terengganu, the number of evacuees dropped to 295 people (73 families) as at 8 am today, from 437 people (107 families) yesterday evening.

Head of the Secretariat on the State Disaster Management Committee, Lieutenant Colonel (PA) Che Adam A Rahman said only five relief centres (PPS) are still in operation, with two each in Besut and Setiu, and the other in Marang.

"Most of the flood victims are in Besut, involving 199 evacuees, followed by Setiu (61) and Marang (35). More of the evacuees are expected to return home today with the improving weather condition,” he said.

In Kelantan, there are 109 flood evacuees (from 22 families) still at four relief centres inn two districts, from 109 people last night.

The four relief centres still in operation are two each in Pasir Mas and Pasir Puteh.

According to the Social Welfare Department’s InfoBencana, Pasir Mas still recorded 58 flood victims, involving 12 families, while in Pasir Puteh, there are 50 evacuees from 10 families.

Meanwhile, according to the Drainage and Irrigation Department’s website at http://publicinforbanjir.water.gov.my, the reading at Sungai Golok in Rantau Panjang as at 8 am today shows the water in the river still above the 9 metre-danger level, at 9.39 metre.

Meanwhile, in PAHANG, the situation has also improved with the closure of the eight relief centres in the Raub district in stages after all the evacuees returned home yesterday.

Raub district police chief Supt Kama Azural (repeat: Kama Azural) Mohamed said it was hot yesterday, resulting in the flood water to recede faster and by 2.30m pm, the evacuees started to leave the relief centres for home.

“The last relief centre to close was the PPS tMasjid Jamek Kampung Kuala Semantan at 8 pm yesterday,” he said when contacted today.

Raub was the first district in Pahang to be hit by the floods after water from Sungai Lipis in Batu Talam overflowed its banks and into the low-lying areas.

This resulted in the evacuation of 156 residents, involving 52 families, from eight villages.

In PERAK, the situation is back to normal after 27 flood victims from Kampung Matang Tengah, who were accommodated at the PPS Sekolah Kebangsaan Changkat Lobak, Bagan Serai, opened last Monday, were allowed to return home.

The relief centre was closed at 6 pm yesterday.

-- BERNAMA