Floods: Around 500 traders forced to close shop in Rantau Panjang

PASIR MAS: About 500 traders at the Rantau Panjang Free Trade Zone (KBC) here have been forced to shut down after Sungai Golok burst its banks and flooded the surrounding area with one-metre deep water on Saturday (Feb 26).

A Bernama survey found that the area is only accessible to heavy vehicles and some traders could be seen unloading business goods onto vehicles to be taken outside their premises.

The survey also discovered that residents are voluntarily moving out using vehicles provided by the authorities to nearby temporary flood shelters (PPS) after water levels at Sungai Kelantan near Rantau Panjang, Pasir Mas and Sungai Golok at Kampung Jenob, Tanah Merah reached dangerous levels at 10.44 meters (m) and 25.72 m as of 5pm on Saturday.

Vegetable seller, Rusizan Abdullah, 38, said he had to close shop early because he was worried about the fast-rising water level which was not normal.

"I saw water beginning to enter the nearby shops and if I had not closed shop earlier, I could be stranded.

"I decided to close early, pack my things and donate the vegetables to customers so that it would not go to waste,” he said when met by Bernama here on Saturday.

Meanwhile, snacks trader Surina Ariffin, 55, said she had closed her stall since yesterday after her house was flooded and she was directed to move to a PPS.

"Floodwater rose to my hip and that is the reason I have to close shop early because at 10 am today my son and I had to be transferred to the Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Gual Tinggi PPS.

"The flood this time is quite unusual because the water level from Sungai Golok rose quickly and it is happening at the end of February, when we normally do not experience floods,” she said.- Bernama