SEGAMAT: A mild earthquake on Sunday morning, followed by afternoon flooding caused by heavy rain and rising river levels, left residents here and in nearby areas feeling anxious.
Kampung Seberang Batu Badak resident Raja Sahrin Tengku Ismail, 60, said he was still in shock from the 8.55am tremors, followed by his house being inundated at about 1pm when the nearby river overflowed.
He added that while flooding is an annual occurrence, especially at the start and end of the year, this incident felt more concerning as it coincided with the tremor.
“It’s quite alarming that earthquakes have become more frequent in Segamat. Although yesterday’s epicentre was in Bukit Kepong, the tremors were still felt here in the village,” he said at the temporary relief centre at the Kampung Batu Badak Community Hall here yesterday, Bernama reported.
Raja Sahrin further expressed concern, noting that floods in the area usually take a long time to recede, and that there are now fears of possible aftershocks.
He said the latest flood was one of the worst he had experienced and suspected it was caused by the collapse of an embankment built last year.
Another resident, Aishah Abd Hamid, 65, said her house was flooded within two hours of the morning tremors.
“I went to Segamat town around 11am to buy essentials, but by 1pm, a neighbour called to inform me that the river had overflowed and water had entered my house. By the time I returned, the water level had already risen above knee height,” she said.
On Sunday, the Malaysian Meteorological Department reported that a weak earthquake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale was detected in Bukit Kepong, Pagoh, at a depth of 10km.
In Johor, the number of flood victims rose to 173 people from 58 families housed at seven temporary evacuation centres as of 4pm yesterday, compared with 148 people recorded earlier in the morning.
State Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Asman Shah Abd Rahman said 40 victims were sheltering at the Kampung Batu Badak Community Hall, 42 at the Kampung Tasek Multipurpose Hall and five at the Kampung Jabi Community Hall.
“Additionally, 11 victims are taking shelter at the Pekan Air Panas Multipurpose Hall PPS, 27 at the Kampung Orang Asli Segamat Kecil Multipurpose Hall, while SJKC Tah Kang is housing 34 victims.
“Another 14 people have been relocated to the Kampung Paya Lebar Community Hall,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Asman Shah said two rivers in Segamat had exceeded the danger level, namely Sungai Muar at Kampung Awat, which recorded a reading of 20.12m, and Sungai Muar at Buloh Kasap, with a reading of 8.66m.
Meanwhile, three roads have been fully closed to all types of vehicles: Jalan Jabi–Bukit Tempurung in Segamat due to flooding, Felda Tenggaroh 3 in Mersing following a slope collapse, and the Kesang–Sungai Rambai Bridge in Tangkak after cracks were detected on the bridge.
Pahang has also been hit by floods again following continuous heavy rain in Rompin, with 49 victims from 13 families evacuated to a temporary evacuation centre, while the number of flood victims in Segamat, Johor, continued to rise as of 4pm today.
The Rompin District Disaster Management Committee Secretariat said all affected residents have been placed at the Kampung Setajam Community Hall in Rompin, which was opened at noon yesterday.
The publicinfobanjir website reported that water levels at Sungai Rompin in Kampung Kerpal and Sungai Pukin in Rompin had exceeded the alert level as of 3pm.
