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Malaysia Flood update & East coast states totally cut off

Kelantan is the worst hit state. The flood situation in Kelantan is still critical with five districts in serious situation following the disruption of basic amenities caused by floods.

Widespread misery: Floodwaters covering a vast area in Pengkalan Chepa, Kelantan. — EPA

The Star reported that:

Access to the country’s flood-hit east coast states is now almost totally cut off after waters submerged many of the main roads to the affected areas.

The number of evacuees also rose by nearly 40,000 overnight as the Meteorological Department warned of a new round of heavy rains lasting until Wednesday.

A total of 200,023 evacuees are currently seeking shelter at more than 500 relief centres in five states, up from 160,921 on Saturday.

As at 6.30pm yesterday, Kelantan remained the worst-hit state with the number of victims rising to 124,966 from 81,925 the day before.

Terengganu had 36,410 evacuees, Pahang (33,601), Perak (4,581) and Johor (465).

The Meteorological Department issued a three-day “yellow” stage alert from today for Perlis, Kedah, north Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Johor.

The alert, which warns of the possibility of monsoon rains and heavy winds, also covers Kudat and Sandakan in Sabah as well as Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman, Sarikei, Sibu, Mukah and Betong in Sarawak.

In KUANTAN, Temerloh has been effectively cut off to land vehicles after a section of the East Coast Expressway became severely flooded.

According to the Pahang Public Works Department, several trunk roads leading to and from the district were also inaccessible to all vehicles.

Main roads from Temerloh to Bera and Jerantut have also been closed after the water level rose to more than a metre high.

New school term will start a week later due to floods

The Star reported that:

The new school session will start a week later nationwide due to the severe floods, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said on Monday.

In a statement, Muhyiddin who is also the Education Minister said for states in Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Johor, the new term will begin on Jan 11 (Sunday) while for other states, the session starts on Jan 12 (Monday).

He noted that as of Sunday, 340 schools in seven states were affected by the floods. According to him, some of these schools were used as flood relief centres and others were inundated by the deluge.

East Coast floods - Update

Yesterday, I posted about the monsoon and the floods that come with it. It seems the flood situation has turned for the worse as more areas in the country are being affected so much so New Year celebrations scheduled at Putrajaya and Perak have been cancelled.

The celebration in Putrajaya is supposed to be a planned mega new year celebration. The events have been cancelled in respect of the thousands affected by flood in several states.


Kemaman in Terengganu..

Kemaman is the worst affected of the districts, with 19,405 evacuees from 4,607 families.

The Star reported today that some 90,250 people have been evacuated as at 9am Thursday in five states ravaged by floods which are showing no sign of letting up.

Fifteen more stretches of road in Kelantan had been closed, raising to 37 the roads impassable to traffic due to the floods. In Kota Bharu, several patients at the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital old wing were evacuated due to rising flood waters early Thursday.

In PAHANG, Kuantan had the highest number of evacuees at 14,350 from 4,119 families, now housed at 44 relief centres. The worst-hit districts are Kemaman followed by Dungun, Kuala Terengganu, Hulu Terengganu, Besut and Marang.

The Maran district has 2,744 evacuees at 17 centres; Jerantut, 2,478 at 34 centres; Lipis, 2,319 at 26 centres; Pekan, 1,402 at 18 centres; Temerloh, 649 at 15 centres; Rompin, 265 at four centres and Bera, 109 at four centres.

In PERAK, people moved out of their homes in the three districts of Kuala Kangsar, Hulu Perak and Perak Tengah rose to 4,335 from 1,079 families.

Deep trouble: A victim wading through floodwaters at Kampung Lembah Sireh in Kota Baru.

Hitting the roof: Taman Bukit Sirih residents surveying the flood situation using a float in Kuala Krai. — Bernama

The situation in most flood-hit states continues to worsen with the authorities warning of continuing heavy rain in the badly-hit states of Kelantan and Terengganu.

The Star reported that Kelantan is now only accessible via the Kuala Terengganu-Kota Baru trunk road and by air.

The other route to Kelantan through the East West Highway was closed to all traffic after part of the highway at the 65th kilometre near Puncak Titiwangsa collapsed.

The Gua Musang-Kuala Krai road has been closed to all traffic while the route from Padang Besar through Haadyai was also impassable due to the floods.

Elsewhere - In Sabah, the situation improved slightly with most of the evacuees allowed to return home yesterday morning.

In Perlis, there was not much change in the flood situation and 175 people were still seeking shelter at evacuation centres.

The 102 tourists trapped at the Mutiara Taman Negara Resort in Kuala Tahan heaved a sigh of relief when the Fire and Rescue Department arrived with much needed food supplies.

The department sent more than four boatloads of food supplies for the tourists and residents in the area. Safe and sound, the tourists would be transported by boat to relief centres in Kuala Tahan before being flown by helicopter to Jerantut town.

Apart from Malaysians, the tourists were from Germany, France, Canada and the Czech Republic.

Source: The Star

Moonsoon floods in the East Coast, Taman Negara, Kajang and more

The monsoon is upon us again this time of the year. If you are planning to visit Malaysia - the east coast states on the peninsula - avoid the months of November and December. This year, the monsoon rains are unusually heavy causing bad flooding in the States of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang.

Needless to say, the islands of Redang and Perhentian would experience low tourism rate this time of the year. I suspect Clud Med as well being located in the state of Pahang.

The Star today report that.. The floods in Kelantan and Terengganu worsened yesterday afternoon as more victims were being evacuated.

Rescue effort..

In Terengganu, chalet guests were told to move out due to strong waves..

A group of holidaymakers faced a terrifying moment when their chalet almost collapsed due to strong waves.

Even the National Park, Taman Negara has not been spared as the park recorded its highest rainfall Tuesday since the major flood in 1971.

The Star reported that:

More than 100 local and foreign tourists are believed to be stranded at the Mutiara Taman Negara Resort after Sungai Tembeling in Kuala Tahan surpassed its danger level.

The Kuala Tahan tourist jetty had to be closed due to swift currents in the river, which is dangerous to boats.

A resort employee, who declined to be identified, said the foreign tourists holed up in the hotel were from Canada, Germany, France and Holland while there were also some local tourists.

"They should have left today (Tuesday) but the dangerous river has cut off the place from the outside world and we are running low on food. Nonetheless, we ensure the safety and well-being of tourists and if necessary, we will use a helicopter to drop food for us tomorrow," he said when contacted late Tuesday.

According to him, a special meeting with police and Jerantut district office was held to discuss measures to get all tourists out safely. – Bernama

Even Kajang town was not spared. Known for its satay, Kajang some twenty miles south of Kuala Lumpur was inundated with flash floods last Saturday. A Christmas party at the Malaysia Independent Animal Rescue (MIAR) shelter in Kajang turned gloomy when floods overcame the facility, drowning some dogs and injuring volunteers.

Meantime, it has been reported that floods has worsened in six states sending 58,705 people in these six states to evacuation centres as Wednesday/this morning.

Menteri Besar of Perak Datuk Seri Dr. Zambry Abd Kadir (fourth from right) reviewing the situation in Kampung Labit.

The Biggest Book Sale in the World

Believe me, the biggest book sale in the world is right here in Malaysia.

The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale is back! This time, 3.5 MILLION books are up for grabs.

Read more about The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale..