Over 14,000 flood evacuees in Kelantan as at 1pm

Kelantan had 14,132 people from 5,046 families at evacuation centres as at 1pm today as the floods in the state continue to worsen.

The number of evacuees had risen from the 12,636 from 4,307 families as at 8am.

Kelantan Civil Defence Force director Zainuddin Hussin said the evacuees were being housed at 53 relief centres in seven districts.

The highest number of evacuees as at 1pm was in the district of Pasir Mas, at 10,483 from 3,924 families being housed at 37 relief centres, he said when contacted.

Tumpat was next with 2,196 people from 729 families, all of them staying at four relief centres, he added.

Zainuddin said 685 people (179 families) were at five relief centres in Kota Bharu; 25 (nine) at a relief centre in Tanah Merah; 603 (172) at four relief centres in Pasir Puteh; 26 (five) at a relief centre in Machang and 114 (28) at a relief centre in Bachok.

He said the weather was fine but the number of evacuees continued to rise because water from the upper reaches of Sungai Golok were flowing downstream to Pasir Mas and Tumpat.

He also said that all the relief centres in Kuala Krai had closed as the situation there had returned to normal.

Meanwhile, the level of only Sungai Golok at Rantau Panjang was still above the danger point of nine metres at noon, according to the state government portal http://ebanjir.kelantan.gov.my. The level of the river there was 10.15 metres compared to 10.17 metres at 8am.

Sungai Kelantan at the Guillemard Bridge in Tanah Merah measured 14.09 metres compared to 14.38 metres in the morning. The danger level of the river there is 16 metres.

The levels of the other rivers have returned to normal. -- BERNAMA