Met Dept: North-east monsoon season to continue until next month

Come rain or shine: Despite the floods, some residents of Kampung Sungai Ganchong still came out to enjoy a meal at their neighbourhood stall in Pekan. (Inset) Flood victim Naziri Hassan, 61, moving his things after floodwaters entered his house in Taman Pelangkah, Pekan. — Bernama

PETALING JAYA: Expect a wet month ahead as the north-east monsoon season continues in February, says the weatherman.

Between now and Monday, moderate-to-heavy rain is expected in the coastal states of Kelantan and Terengganu in the mornings.

Rain is also expected in some parts of the west coast with thunderstorms in the coastal areas of the north and west coast in the mornings.

States in the west coast, north and interior peninsula are also expected to get rain and thunderstorms in the evenings.

The Meteorological Department said in a statement that “medium-heavy rain” will fall in areas in the middle and east of Sarawak in the mornings.

The state will also experience rain and thunderstorms in several places at all districts in the evenings.

Meanwhile, rain is expected to hit only one or two places in the coastal area of eastern Sabah in the mornings while rain and thunderstorm will be at concentrated places in eastern Sabah in the evenings.

Flood victim Naziri Hassan, 61, moving his things after floodwaters entered his house in Taman Pelangkah, Pekan. — Bernama

The north-east monsoon is characterised by heavy rain spells. The season is expected to end in March.

Twenty schools in Pahang – 13 in Pekan, six in Maran and one in Bera – will be closed today due to the flood disaster in the state.

State Education Department director Datuk Rosdi Ismail said that 4,087 students and teachers would be affected.

The schools in Pekan are SMK Paloh Hinai, SK Paloh Hinai, SK Padang Rumbia, SK Kampung Aceh, SK Pulau Rusa, SK Tanjung Medang, SK Belimbing, SK Serambi, SK Temai, SK Mambang, SK Pelak, SK Pulau Manis and SK Kincir.

In Maran, the schools are SK Paya Pasir, SK Serengkam, SK Pesagi, SK Kuala Wau, SK Kertau and SK Chenor while SMK Mengkarak is the school affected in Bera.

Pekan recorded the highest number of flood victims staying at relief centres in Pahang yesterday.

Malaysian Civil Defence Force state director Zainal Yusoff said the number of victims at the centres dropped to 3,162 people from 883 families at noon yesterday compared with 4,122 victims from 1,115 families in the morning.

Pekan recorded the highest number with 1,116 victims from 309 families.

Maran recorded 1,055 victims (314 families), Temerloh 515 victims (140 families), Bera 438 victims (107 families) and Rompin 38 victims (13 families), he said.

Fifty-nine temporary relief centres were still operating with 20 in Maran, Pekan (17), Bera (12), Temerloh (nine) and one in Rompin.

In Johor, the number of flood victims in the state continued to drop to 1,390 yesterday compared with 1,473 victims on Monday.

State Health and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said they comprised 384 families who were still staying at 22 temporary relief centres in three districts affected by the floods, namely Segamat, Tangkak and Muar.

A total of 982 victims from 264 families in Segamat and 25 victims from six families in Tangkak had yet to be allowed to return home.

“In Muar, there were 383 victims from 114 families who are still staying in four relief centres,” he said in a statement.

Five roads were still inaccessible. They are the Pogoh-Tekam and Balai Badang-Mensudut Lama roads in Segamat; Jambatan Jalan Kampung Sungai Pinggan in Pontian; and in Muar, the 61st kilometre of the Muar-Labis road and Jalan Pagoh Tekam.