JOHOR BAHRU, Jan 8 — The number of flood victims in Johor continues to rise, with 6,564 people evacuated as of 8am today, almost doubling from 3,322 people at 8pm yesterday.
State Disaster Management Committee chairman Tan Sri Azmi Rohani, in a statement today, said the increase involved evacuees from Kota Tinggi, Kluang and Johor Bahru.
He said a total of 1,819 families have been evacuated to 51 temporary relief shelters (PPS) in six districts so far, with Kota Tinggi recording the highest number of victims, totalling 2,964 people from 783 families at 24 PPS; followed by Johor Bahru (1,844 people from 504 families at 10 PPS) and Kluang (1,633 victims from 500 families at 14 PPS).
The remaining victims are in Kulai (86 victims from 23 families), Segamat (20 people from five families) and Pontian (17 people from four families), he added.
Azmi, who is also the Johor State Secretary, said based on data from the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), six rivers in Johor recorded water at dangerous levels.
They are Sungai Johor in Rantau Panjang and Kota Tinggi, Sungai Linggiu in Linggiu, Sungai Kepala Orang in Kampung Sri Jaya and Sungai Johor in Kota Tinggi, Sungai Kahang in Kampung Contoh, Kluang, as well as Sungai Siam in Kampung Sungai Siam, Kulai.
Rain is forecast in Mersing and Tangkak, while the other districts are expected to be sunny.
Meanwhile, based on the latest report issued by the National Disaster Control Centre of the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), the number of flood victims in Pahang also increased to 845 people from 221 families at 23 PPS in three districts, namely Maran, Pekan and Rompin, as of midnight.
Rompin recorded the highest number of flood victims, totalling 360 people from 109 families, followed by Maran (261 victims from 58 families) and Pekan (224 victims from 54 families).
One PPS was opened in Kuching, Sarawak, to accommodate 38 people from 12 families whose homes were destroyed in a fire.
Meanwhile, a survey of the DID’s telemetry station found that five rivers recorded dangerous water levels, namely Sungai Skudai, Johor Bahru; Sungai Johor, Johor Bahru; Sungai Johor, Kota Tinggi; Sungai Johor, Kulai and Sungai Endau in Kluang.
Sungai Kedah, Kota Setar in Kedah; Sungai Kelantan, Gua Musang, in Kelantan and five rivers in Pahang, namely Sungai Kuantan, Kuantan; Sungai Pahang, Pekan; Sungai Rompin, Rompin; Sungai Pahang, Jerantut and Sungai Pahang in Maran, also recorded dangerous levels, as well as Batang Sadong, Serian in Sarawak, and Sungai Terengganu, Hulu Terengganu, Terengganu.
The report also stated the closure of 43 roads due to floods, soil erosion, sink holes and damage.
They include Jalan Mersing-Endau (Mersing), Jalan JB-Mersing dan Jalan Kota Tinggi-Kluang di Johor; Kuantan-Segamat Expressway (Tun Razak Expressway) and Jalan Pekan-Nenasi-Rompin, Jalan Temerloh-Jerantut in Pahang and Jalan Bukit Besi-Dungun, Terengganu.
The report also stated that a danger warning level of continuous heavy rain has been issued for Rompin, Pahang, while an alert level warning of a similar weather condition has been issued for Maran, Kuantan and Bera in Pahang, as well as in Johor, involving Tangkak, Muar, Batu Pahat, Pontian, Kulai and Johor Bahru.
— Bernama
