Army to bring relief as Johor floods worsen

People are transported away from a flooded area in Segamat on an army truck, January 31, 2011. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 — With three dead and over 40,000 already evacuated from Johor, Melaka, Negri Sembilan and Pahang, many are still trapped in several flood-hit Johor towns with no electricity, food or water supplies, forcing the army into action to provide relief alongside overwhelmed rescue workers.

  

As of 5.30pm, heavy clouds remain over Johor and unrelenting rain is expected to continue for the rest of the week.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also National Disaster Management Committee chairman, said in Labis, Johor that he has asked Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to deploy the armed forces to help in the evacuation process.

The rain has not let up for close to 10 days, according to residents of Segamat, and the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MET) said that it will continue for the rest of the week there as well as Kota Tinggi and Kluang.

Johor has seen more than 37,000 evacuated and two deaths while the neighbouring states of Negri Sembilan, Melaka and Pahang have evacuated more than 5,000 in total, with one reported death in Jasin, Melaka.

Two victims in Johor died after their cars were swept away by floodwaters.

With many roads now impassable, transportation of evacuees, rescue workers and supplies is turning into a logistical nightmare. Locals in the Segamat area fear that floods will be worse than those that hit Johor in December 2006 and January 2007.

  

Rain clouds from the northeast monsoon obscure parts of Malaysia in this satellite image.

Hotel guests are stranded and kitchens have been moved to higher floors to continue feeding their starving guests who can only watch as parts of town that survived the 2006 flood are now submerged under more than a metre of water.

  

The only way in or out of Segamat and surrounding villages is by boat and in various spots around the southern state, homes and surrounding roads are now under water, leaving families stranded without electricity and relying on rescue food supplies.

Other households have been spotted leaving their homes in sampans, escaping from chest-high waters while neighbourhood supermarkets and mini markets that are not flooded, have run out of food stock.

Families in evacuation centres are also concerned about food, claiming they only have enough for today although authorities said the welfare department is currently arranging food relief.

The persistent rain in Johor has raised fears of a repeat of floods four years which claimed six lives and inflicted more than RM1 billion in economic losses.

Three rivers in Johor have burst their banks and with the MET’s prediction of continuing rains, five more are on the brink and being closely watched by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage.

The rain in Johor is expected to continue into the night and after slowing down tomorrow morning, thunderstorms will resume in the afternoon, according to MET.

However, heavy rain in Segamat will not let up until Saturday,

A MET official told The Malaysian Insider that the heavy rain in Johor was caused by the northeast monsoon.

“The wind from the northeast monsoon, which brings heavy rain, is focused on Johor,” he said.

“The La Nina phenomenon could have added to the heavy rain, too,” added the meteorologist.

The 2006 floods had claimed at least six lives and caused over 60,000 people to be rescued as the southern state experienced water and electricity cuts, an increase of water-borne disease as well as looting after floodwaters receded. Economic losses from the flood then was estimated at over RM1 billion.

All three districts in Melaka have been hit by floods with a total of 2,714 victims being relocated while Negri Sembilan saw 1,921 evacuees, mostly from Gemas and Tampin.

Pahang also reported 538 victims in Rompin, Raub, Bera and Maran with several roads closed after being submerged under up to two metres of water.

Floods and landslides between Bahau and Tampin in Negri Sembilan, and Kluang in Johor, have forced Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) to cancel several train services to the east and south.