East coast floods: 90,250 evacuees and climbing

Floods in Kemaman.- Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR: Some 90,250 people have been evacuated as at 9am Thursday in five states ravaged by floods which are showing no sign of letting up.

Kelantan had the highest number of evacuees at 32,343, followed by Terengganu (28,991), Pahang (24,316), Perak (4,335) and Perlis (265).

In KELANTAN, 5,190 people were moved out of their homes overnight to add to the 27,153 already evacuated as of last night, according to the state government flood portal.

The latest evacuees were from the Tanah Merah and Kota Baru districts. The state capital Kota Baru was paralysed by the floods after Sungai Kelantan burst its banks late Wednesday.

Seven of the eight other districts in the state are also affected by the floods, they being Gua Musang, Jeli, Kuala Krai, Machang, Pasir Mas, Pasir Puteh and Tumpat.

Fifteen more stretches of road in Kelantan had been closed, raising to 37 the roads impassable to traffic due to the floods.

In TERENGGANU, the 28,991 evacuees from 6,975 families are being housed at 124 relief centres. 

Kemaman is the worst affected of the districts, with 19,405 evacuees from 4,607 families. 

A total of 5,022 people in the Dungun district have been moved to 33 relief centres. Kuala Terengganu district saw 3,203 people moved to 14 centres; Hulu Terengganu, 640 to 11 centres; Besut, 562 to eight centres; Marang, 115 to two centres and Setiu, 44 to three centres.

In PAHANG, the number of evacuees in eight districts rose by 8,372 to 24,316 this morning, up from 15,944 last night. 

A spokesman of the Pahang police flood operations room said Kuantan had the highest number of evacuees at 14,350 from 4,119 families, now housed at 44 relief centres.

The Maran district has 2,744 evacuees at 17 centres; Jerantut, 2,478 at 34 centres; Lipis, 2,319 at 26 centres; Pekan, 1,402 at 18 centres; Temerloh, 649 at 15 centres; Rompin, 265 at four centres and Bera, 109 at four centres.

In PERAK, people moved out of their homes in the three districts of Kuala Kangsar, Hulu Perak and Perak Tengah rose to 4,335 from 1,079 families. 

A spokesman of the Perak National Security Council (NSC) said Perak Tengah was the latest area to experience floods, beginning yesterday afternoon. He said six more relief centres were opened today, in Bota and Kampung Gajah.

The Kuala Kangsar district, which also encompasses Sungai Siput town, had the highest number of evacuees as of this morning, at 2,767 from 659 families.

Twenty-three relief centres have been set up in the district. - Bernama