Drop in number of victims looking for shelter

GEORGE TOWN: The number of flood victims seeking shelter at two districts in flood-ravaged Penang dropped to 5,729 last night from 7,294 earlier yesterday.

As at 7pm, more than 3,700 Seberang Perai Utara victims and about 1,900 others from Seberang Perai Tengah district were being sheltered at 36 relief centres.

“The flood situation in the two districts is improving as flood waters have begun to recede,” he said here yesterday.

The relief centres in Seberang Perai Selatan, Southwest and Northeast districts were closed after all victims returned home.

According to a flood operations room spokesman, the weather in Penang was sunny yesterday and the Lahar Yooi-Padang Menora road was the only one still closed to traffic in Seberang Perai Utara.

Almost all areas in Penang were affected by floods, with several areas submerged by between 0.2m and one metre following strong winds and heavy rains since Saturday morning, which also saw dozens of trees uprooted.

Meanwhile, in Kedah, the number of flood victims at relief centres in Kedah dropped to 373 as at 8pm yesterday.

State Civil Defence Department director Lt Kol Mohd Zul Khairi Shamsuddin said the victims from 94 families were being housed in six relief centres in Kuala Muda, Kulim and Pendang districts.

Most of the victims are expected to return home today as the flood waters have receded following sunny weather since Monday. — Bernama