Flood victims on the rise in Kedah

The flood situation in Melaka and Perlis is improving with more evacuees returning to their homes.

In Melaka, the number of flood victims in Alor Gajah dropped to 95 people from 26 families as of 8am today from 149 victims (38 families) at 4pm yesterday.

Melaka Civil Defence Force (APM) director Lt Col (PA) Cuthbert John Martin Quadra said the flood evacuees were accommodated at three relief centres (PPS) at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Durian Tunggal (26 people from 10 families), Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) Sin Wah (49 victims from 12 families) and Dewan Jawatankuasa Pembangunan dan Penyelaras Dewan Undangan Negeri (Japerun) Durian Tunggal (20 people from four families).

The evacuees were from six areas affected by the floods in the Durian Tunggal district, namely Kampung Padang Keladi, Bukit Balai, Kampung Bukit Tambun, Pekan Durian Tunggal, Taman Murai Jaya and Kampung Padang Kerbau, he said in a statement today.

In Perlis, State Social Welfare Department director Mohammad Hazam Ismai said only one PPS was still open in Arau as of 8am today, at SK Arau, to accommodate 12 families of 42 people.

The PPS at SK Arau was one of two that were opened yesterday. The other, at Masjid Kampung Banggol Sena, was closed after all of the evacuees returned home.

However, the number of flood evacuees in Kedah increased to 754 people today from 665 yesterday.

According to Kedah APM head Mohd Muaz Mohd Yusoff, as of 8am today, the evacuees who are from 205 families were at 13 PPS in five districts.

He said another PPS, at SK Malau in the Kubang Pasu district, was opened at 11pm yesterday to accommodate 26 victims from four families.

“A total of 141 victims involving 36 families were evacuated in Kubang Pasu to three PPS in the district, while Baling recorded 15 victims from five families at two PPS.

“In the Kota Setar district, 272 victims from 79 families were evacuated to four PPS, while 10 families comprising 10 people were evacuated to two PPS in Pokok Sena, and in Pendang district, 292 victims from 72 families were evacuated to two PPS,” he said in a statement.

In Johor, Kampung Paya Embun in Pontian district was hit by flash floods yesterday following a two-hour downpour.

State Health and Environment Committee chairman R Vidyananthan said a PPS was opened at SK Melayu Raya at 9pm yesterday to accommodate 18 people from four families.