Floods in Kuala Nerus may worsen

Monsoon menace: Children wading through the floods to safer ground in Taman Murni Permai, Tok Jembal, Kuala Nerus. — Bernama

KUALA TERENGGANU: Kuala Nerus was the first district in Terengganu to be hit by floods in the current northeast monsoon season, with a temporary relief centre opened at the Tok Jembal multipurpose hall.

The state disaster management committee secretariat said 124 people from 54 families were relocated to the centre as early as 4am yesterday. In a statement, it said it expected the number of victims to increase and more centres to be opened.

Terengganu Education Department deputy director (School Management Sector) Azman Othman said three schools in Kuala Terengganu were affected by the floods, namely SK Seri Budiman, SK Losong and SK Tok Dir.

He said all teachers and students had been instructed to follow the home-based teaching and learning (PdPR) method.

Based on the Irrigation and Drainage Department’s Public Infobanjir website, only the main ditch in Padang Kemunting in Kuala Nerus has exceeded the 3.6m warning level, with a reading of 3.7m.

Meanwhile, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) activated its disaster operations room after floods hit Kuala Nerus and Kuala Terengganu.

UMT vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Mazlan Abd Ghaffar said a 24-hour hotline had also been activated.

He said 20 students affected by the floods had been evacuated to the temporary relief centre at the UMT sports centre hall.

Mohd Hafiz Abd Rahman, 46, trying to salvage some of his belongings at his house in Taman Alamanda 3, Jalan Pusara in Kuala Terengganu. — Bernama

“Some of the areas near the campus, such as Kampung Pak Tuyu, Kampung Jati, Kampung Gong Pak Jin and Kampung Tok Jembal, where students live, were inundated yesterday morning.

“Several areas within the UMT campus were also flooded, causing the UMT safety division to use alternative routes to facilitate movement,” he said in a statement, Bernama reported.

Prof Mazlan said the varsity would provide zakat aid worth RM100,000 to UMT students and the local community affected by the floods while a grant of RM10,000 would be given to non-Muslim students.

He advised the students and staff to contact the disaster operations room at 09-668 5059/09-668 4118 for more information and assistance.

In Kota Kinabalu, state Civil Defence Department director Asst Comm Sharudin Md Zain said a total of 859 hotspots involving 31 districts and sub-districts that could face floods and related disasters had been identified.

He said in terms of assets, the department had a total of 78 land and 122 sea assets to dispatch in emergencies.

Rescue mission: Civil Defence members ferrying flood victims in Kampung Alur Bunut, Batu Buruk, Terengganu. — Bernama

He said that together with other emergency and rescue agencies, there would be 12,055 rescuers on standby to ensure smooth rescue efforts when it was necessary.

“With the other rescue agencies, there will be a total of 1,314 assets that will be used for emergencies,” Sharudin said.

He also said a total of 423 temporary shelters that could accommodate almost 151,000 victims were ready for use.

The National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) had prepared a total of 4,000 meal kits as early assistance for disaster victims, he added.

He said relevant training sessions for locals in various locations had been ongoing since Nov 5.

Sharudin said that for Sabah, the flood-prone and disaster areas included Kota Kinabalu, Kudat, Pitas, Beaufort, Penampang, Kota Belud and Kota Marudu.