More evacuees allowed to go home as flood situation improves in 4 states

The overall flood situation in four states has improved, with fewer evacuees recorded at relief centres in Pahang, Melaka, Sabah and Negeri Sembilan last night.

In Pahang, the state disaster management committee secretariat reported a lower number of evacuees as of 8pm, with 933 victims at 27 centres compared to 954 people at 29 centres earlier in the evening, in the districts of Temerloh, Pekan, Maran, Bera and Rompin.

However several roads remained closed, including Jalan Bohor Baru in Bera, Jalan Ibam-Kampung Aur (Rompin), Jalan Teluk Ganchong Lepar (Pekan) and Jalan Serengkam (Maran).

The publicinfobanjir.water.gov.my website reported that the water levels of Sungai Bera and Sungai Serting in Bera as well as Sungai Pahang in Kuala Sungai Chini, Pekan continued to exceed danger levels.

In Melaka, the number of evacuees dropped to 408 people from 108 families at 8pm, compared to 418 people from 111 families at 4pm.

State civil defence force director Cuthbert John Martin Quadra said the affected victims were from Kampung Belimbing Dalam in Alor Gajah and Kampung Parit Penghulu Benteng, Kampung Lanchang, Kampung Tersusun Rambai Jaya and Kampung Parit Putat Benteng in Jasin.

He said the situation in Melaka Tengah had fully recovered and all evacuees were allowed to return home.

In Sabah, the number of evacuees dropped to 202 people from 50 families compared to 281 people from 63 families earlier in the evening.

Two more centres were closed, one each in Sandakan and Paitan, after the evacuees were allowed to return home.

A total of 23 centres had been closed in Sabah as of last night, including several others in Kota Marudu, Pitas, Telupid and Beluran.

A total of 182 evacuees from 46 families were still at six centres in Telupid while one centre in Paitan had 20 people from four families.

In Negeri Sembilan, the Social Welfare Department (JKM) Disaster Info application showed a drop in the number of evacuees as of 8pm, with 69 individuals from 17 families at three centres, compared to 221 individuals from 59 families in the evening.

In Johor, the last centre in Mersing was closed, leaving four districts still affected by floods.

Johor health and environment committee chairman R Vidyananthan however said that the number of evacuees rose slightly to 4,065 as of 8pm compared to 3,985 people in the evening.

“Segamat continued to record the highest number of evacuees with 2,464 people, followed by Muar (809), Tangkak (739) and Batu Pahat (53),” he said in a statement.

He said Sungai Muar in Buloh Kasap, Segamat; Sungai Muar in Kampung Olak Sepam, Muar; Sungai Muar in Panchor, Muar and Sungai Gemas in Muara Sungai Gemas, Segamat, which are still at danger levels, showed a downward trend.

However, Sungai Muar in Bukit Kepong, Muar, which was at danger level showed a rising trend while there was no change to Sungai Plentong, Johor Bahru, which likewise remained at danger level.