Rough seas as north-east winds blow in

Gone with the wind: A man clearing debris following a thunderstorm that blew away some 30 canopies and bamboo sheds during an event at a cultural village in Batu Buruk, Kuala Terengganu.

PETALING JAYA: The wet and wild north-east monsoon appears to have swept away most of the haze.

The weather forecast by the Malaysian Meteorological Depart­ment warned of winds up to 50km per hour and waves as high as 3.5m coming from southern Vietnam.

“The winds are expected to last until Tuesday.

“The strong winds and rough sea conditions are dangerous to small boats, and recreational activities at sea,” the department said in a statement on its website.

Thunderstorms have been predicted for Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Johor, Pahang, Kelantan, Sarawak and Labuan.

The department added that rain was expected all along the east coast of the peninsula and Sabah next week in the morning followed by thunderstorms in the evening in most parts of the country.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said the relevant authorities had met yesterday to discuss flood measures.

A total of 5,161 flood relief centres had been made ready and could shelter some 1.5 million victims, he added.

Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the Government would help farmers relocate livestock, moveable agricultural produce, machinery and other resources to secure centres if floods hit farms.

Among the worst flood-hit states last year were Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak and Perlis.

Ahmad Shabery said the total losses in the agricultural sector came to RM297.83mil – RM106.8mil for damaged infrastructure and RM152.97mil in lost produce.

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