MARANG: The flood situation in Besut is getting more serious with all roads heading toward the district closed to all vehicles since Monday.
Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) fire safety division director Datuk Ahmad Izram Osman said the number of flood evacuees in Besut, at 5,492 people, was among the highest in Terengganu.
“All of the evacuees, from 1,506 families, are seeking shelter at 83 temporary relief centres,” he told reporters after a briefing on the flood situation in the state by Terengganu JBPM deputy director Mohd Khairiri Mat Resad @Arshad.
Earlier, Ahmad Izram went on an aerial survey over the Hulu Terengganu district where many areas were flooded, including schools and residential areas.
However, a similar survey of the Besut district could not be done due to unfavourable weather conditions.
He said Besut’s hilly terrain made it difficult for security forces to enter certain areas such as rural villages.
Currently, the team is on the ground with a strength of 367 officers and personnel, including 81 trainees from the Wakaf Tapai Fire Academy.
The evacuation operation was also assisted by the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) and East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) which provided two lorries for each district, in addition to five more lorries provided by the JBPM headquarters in Putrajaya, he said.
