Worrying sight: A man standing in front of a flooded shopping mall in Bandar Tunjong in Kota Bharu. — Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: Residents living in flood-prone areas are reminded to comply with the instructions of the authorities, including being ready to move to designated temporary evacuation centres (PPS).
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the effort was to prevent any untoward incidents from happening during the northeast monsoon season which began to hit several states since early this month.
“This morning after dawn, I opened the TikTok app and I watched live how several residents around Kampung Pulai Chondong in Kelantan (showing their area) was flooded due to heavy rain and the river level had risen which was quite worrying.
“There are some who do live broadcasts and live streaming as if they don’t want to move from home, even though the water is quite high.
“So I beg everyone, if the authorities issue an order to transfer to PPS, please comply with the instruction for your safety,” he told reporters after attending the Putrajaya Festival of Ideas yesterday, Bernama reported.
To face the northeast monsoon, Fahmi, who is also the spokesman for the unity government, urged families involved to prepare special bags to store important documents to ensure such items are easily taken with them to the PPS and not lost.
The monsoon season is expected to continue until March next year.
Easy does it: soldiers rescuing stranded children at Kg Tengkawang in Kuala berang, Terengganu. — bernama
On a separate matter, he said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission is in the final phase of reviewing the implementation of a direct disaster notification channel that will bypass the short messaging service.
Fahmi said the disaster notice channel, which aims to deliver warnings via mobile phones to individuals in specific locations, will be coordinated with the National Disaster Management Agency.
“It will serve as an additional communication tool, utilising geolocation to send alerts to a group of people in a particular area,” he said.
Separately, floods in the east coast states worsened with more evacuations overnight.
In Kelantan, the number of flood victims rose to 12,526 from 3,110 victims earlier, who are taking shelter at 96 relief centres in Pasir Mas, Pasir Puteh, Kuala Krai, Kota Baru, Tanah Merah, Machang, Tumpat, Bachok and Jeli.
According to the Social Welfare Department’s Info Bencana portal, Pasir Mas recorded the highest number of evacuees with 3,232 at 19 centres; Pasir Puteh (1,738 victims at 14 centres); Kuala Krai (1,591 victims at 17 centres; Kota Baru (1,573 victims at 14 centres) and Tanah Merah (1,001 victims at 14 centres).
In Machang, 977 victims are housed at eight centres, Tumpat (973 victims at two centres), Bachok (776 victims at four centres) and Jeli (665 victims at four centres).
The disaster in Kelantan has claimed one life after a man was electrocuted while attempting to unplug a washing machine at his flooded home in Kampung Banir Belikong, Pasir Puteh.
Pasir Puteh Fire and Rescue Department operations commander Mohd Rukiman Ab Rahman said the incident occurred at 4.30am yesterday when the victim, Tuan Mohd Zakaria Tuan Ismail, 33, was electrocuted before falling and being swept away by floodwaters into a river behind his house.
