Thousands forced to flee as rising waters wreak havoc

[Ieyasu Tokugawa]

Tuesday November 2, 2010

Thousands forced to flee as rising waters wreak havoc

By MANJIT KAUR and EMBUN MAJID
[email protected]

KANGAR: Thousands of people were forced to abandon their homes and seek shelter in temporary centres when pouring rain caused havoc in the northern states of Kedah and Perlis. About a hundred people were also evacuated from Kelantan and Terengganu as a precautionary measure after water in several main rivers breached the danger level.

Drainage and Irrigation Department director of water resources and hydrology Hanafi Mohamad Noor fears that if heavy rain which started on Sunday continues, the big flood of 2005 will recur. During the big flood, water covered the whole state in the worst such incident in 30 years. As of yesterday, 1,218 people from 17 villages were evacuated to 10 relief centres in the state.

Hut island: Padi farmer Sian Cheugi, 38, with his dog named ‘Dam’ resting at a hut used to keep padi planting equipment and harvested padi in the middle of his padi field at Kampung Kubang Chenok,Jitra, Kedah which was inundated by flood water after three days of downpour Monday. Kampung Kubang Chenok is about 40km from Alor Setar.

“Many villages, especially in the Padang Besar area and downstream of the (Timah Tasuh) dam, are already flooded. If the heavy rain continues, Kangar is expected to be submerged soon,” he said in a text message to The Star. Hanafi said water from the dam was released this morning after it reached the maximum level of 30m.

In Kedah, more than 2,000 people from more than 35 villages in two districts were moved to relief centres. Among the villages were Kampung Paya Lantau, Kampung Padang Pasir, Kampung Tanjung, Kampung Labi, and Kampung Bendang Raja. Padang Terap flood operations centre officer Nurul Aziati Ahmad Salmi said water level at Sungai Kuala Nerang was 19.01m, about 2m above the danger level of 17.07m.

Hundreds of motorists also got stuck in massive traffic jams when both sides of the North-South Expressway in Changlun were closed since 1pm yesterday. The expresssway was submerged under 2m of water. Signboards were put up to tell motorists travelling between Bukit Kayu Hitam and Changlun to use the Changlun-Kuala Perlis highway instead.

In KELANTAN, FARIK ZOLKEPLI reports that 46 people were moved to four evacuation centres in Pasir Mas and Tanah Merah after the water level breached the danger point in most of the main rivers as of 8.45pm yesterday. Kelantan DID officer Shaari Harun said water level in Sungai Golok in Jenob was also above the danger level at 23.7m while the level of the river in Rantau Panjang had reached 9.67m, beyond the danger level. The water level of Sungai Kelantan in Kuala Krai and Kusial were nearing the danger level as well.

In KUALA TERENGGANU, R.S.N. MURALI reports that 84 people were evacuated from villages in Ulu Besut due to flash floods. The heavy rain also damaged a part of the ceiling on the fifth floor of the new Socso state branch office in Jalan Batas Baru. The contractor was still bound by warranty to fix the damage, said customer service manager Azahar Md Nadzri.

 

[bumblebee]

Floods: More people evacuated in Perlis; schools closed


Published: Tuesday November 2, 2010 MYT 12:51:00 PM
Updated: Tuesday November 2, 2010 MYT 1:58:22 PM

Floods: More people evacuated in Perlis; schools closed

KANGAR: The flood situation in Perlis worsened Tuesday morning with the number of evacuees rising to more than 3,000 compared with about 1,600 Monday night. A spokesman from the Flood Operations Room of the Perlis Welfare Department said the victims were being accommodated in 23 relief centres.

Operations to trace victims who needed to be evacuated were still being carried out in all the affected areas. On Tuesday night, Perlis Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Md Isa Sabu visited the victims in several areas while former mentri besar Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim braved the flood waters to visit victims in the Tambun Tulang area.

The Perlis Education Department ordered 11 schools to be closed Tuesday due to the floods. State Education Director Mansor Lat said the directive was only effective Tuesday and a new directive would be issued if there was a need to close the schools Wednesday.

A check by Bernama showed that several roads in Kangar were inundated as well as several public buildings including the Hospital Tuanku Fauziah (HTF) which were flooded. Residents in Taman Bukit Kayangan, near here were also scrambling to save their belongings since the water level rose Monday night.

Many residents in housing estates on the suburbs of Kangar had moved out because of the rising water level. In KEDAH, residents in the Kubang Pasu district, especially those areas affected by the big floods in 2005, were advised to be prepared to move quickly to a safer place because the water level was expected to rise.

District Officer Datuk Noh Dahya said the report from the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) and the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) showed that the water level in Kubang Pasu would rise due to water flow from the Padang Terap district. "Within six hours from 11.30 this morning, the water level will rise and possibly there will be a major flood such as the one in 2005, so we advise all residents to be prepared.

"So far, almost the whole district is affected and residents in 33 villages in 16 mukim had been evacuated to relief centres," he told Bernama, here Tuesday. He said the water level in all Mada canals and rivers in the district had exceeded the danger level. In 2005, more than 11,000 residents were affected by the flood in Kubang Pasu. - Bernama

 

[chobolan]

Two drown as floods worsen in three states


Thursday November 4, 2010

Two drown as floods worsen in three states

ALOR SETAR: The death toll has risen to two and more than 36,000 people have been driven to relief centres as the floods in Perlis, Kedah and Kelantan worsened, forcing the closure of roads, rail services, schools and government offices. Kedah is the worst hit of the three states, where the floods have claimed two lives so far and forced the evacuation of 25,088 people as at 5pm as well as washed out the plans of several Hindu families to celebrate Deepavali on Friday.

A 64-year-old German woman, Erna Fischer, who went missing on Monday night while trying to leave her son’s house at Kampung Kerenjis Kota Giam near Jitra, was found dead by a search team at 5.45pm yesterday not far from her house which was hit by floods.

Saving furniture: Two women moving a cupboard across floodwaters after their home was affected in Titi Gajah, Alor Setar, Wednesday

Form One student Mohd Zaki Amani Shaari, 13, drowned after he slipped and fell into a flooded padi field while fishing with his brother in Kampung Charok Bongor in Padang Terap. Two sisters are also feared drowned after falling into a canal at Kampung Telaga Mas in Alor Setar yesterday. They have been identified as Siti Nadia Shukor, 13, and Sharifah Shukor, eight.

A 14-year-old girl, who was riding the machine with Siti and Sharifah riding pillion, lost control and they ended up in the canal. The rider managed to cling on a tree branch until villagers rescued her while the two sisters were swept away by the strong current. The number of evacuees in Kubang Pasu had increased to 15,616. Up to 11,411 people had moved out of their homes in Perlis and 475 in Kelantan.

 

[Cao Pi]

Death toll rises to four, almost 50,000 evacuated as floods worsen (Update)


Published: Thursday November 4, 2010 MYT 7:50:00 PM

Death toll rises to four, almost 50,000 evacuated as floods worsen (Update)

KUALA LUMPUR: The death toll has doubled to four and two more people are feared to have drowned as the flood situation in Kedah and Perlis continued to worsen this evening, with almost 50,000 moved to relief centres. However, the situation in Kelantan has improved tremendously, with all the 475 evacuees having returned home by this afternoon and the sun shining brightly for most of the day.

Almost 5,000 people were moved to relief centres in Kedah today, taking the total number of evacuees in the state to 33,413 this evening. The bodies of two girls who fell into an irrigation canal in Kedah yesterday were recovered this afternoon, raising the death toll to four in the state. Meanwhile, two children are feared drowned after they fell into an irrigation canal. Close to 2,000 people were evacuated in Perlis today, raising the number of evacuees in the state to 15,027 by the evening. - BERNAMA

 

[Cao Pi]

More flood evacuees in Kedah, Perlis going home


Published: Monday November 8, 2010 MYT 1:52:00 PM

More flood evacuees in Kedah, Perlis going home

ALOR SETAR (Bernama): The flood situation in Kedah is improving with the number of evacuees dropping to 28,208 (6,874 families) at 70 relief centres. Three of the districts hit by the flood, namely Kota Setar, Kubang Pasu and Pokok Sena showed a drop in the number of evacuees while it remained the same in Pendang.

A National Security Council flood operations rooom spokesman said the number of evacuees in the Kota Setar district dropped to 20,438 (4,928 families) from 21,116 Sunday evening, while in Kubang Pasu 6,550 evacuees from 1,747 families were still at the relief centres and in Pokok Sena, the number was 978 from 137 families as at 8am today.

In Pendang, the number remained at 242 from 62 families. According to the spokesman, 44 flood relief centres were still open in Kota Star, 23 in Kubang Pasu, two in Pokok Sena and one in Pendang. In PERLIS, more evacuees were allowed to return home with the improving flood situation. A state Welfare Department flood operations room spokesman said 6,242 people were however still at 28 relief centres.

Most of those who had returned home are from the northern part of Perlis and they were today seen busy cleaning up their homes from the m&d and debris. The Perlis government announced a RM20 cut from the residents' November water bill to help lessen their burden for the extra water used to clean up their homes.

 

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Flood waters cover a town in Alor Setar, state capital of Kedah, northern Malaysia, Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. (AP Photo)​

 

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A resident looks out at a town submerged by flood waters in Alor Setar, state capital of Kedah, northern Malaysia, Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. (AP Photo)​

 

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Motorists drive through a flooded road in Alor Setar, state capital of Kedah, northern Malaysia, Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. (AP Photo)​