3,610 Evacuated In Four States As Floods Also Hit Pahang

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 (Bernama) -- The number of flood evacuees in the country stood at 3,610 this evening as Pahang became the fourth state to be affected by rising floodwaters.

Eleven people moved out of their homes in Pahang Thursday, 13 still remain at a relief centre in Johor and the number of evacuees in Kelantan has risen to 1,184 this evening from 1,132 in the morning.

Terengganu saw a decline in the number of evacuees, from 2,678 in the morning to 2,402 in the evening, but the situation in the flood-hit areas has changed little.

The floods have so far claimed three lives in Kelantan, two of them brothers aged 14 and 16 in Bachok and a two-year-old boy in Pasir Mas. A teenage girl is missing in Pasir Mas.

The weatherman has no good news for the people in Terengganu, Pahang and Kelantan, at least until tomorrow. The Meteorological Department has forecast intermittent heavy rain in the three states and warned of the possibility of floods in low-lying areas.

In KELANTAN, a spokesman of the state flood operations room said the 1,184 evacuees are being accommodated at 27 relief centres in seven districts.

"As of this evening, Pasir Mas is the worst-affected district where 11 relief centres have been opened," he said.

He also said that the level of two major rivers in the state were at the warning point, the Golok River at Rantau Panjang and the Kelantan River at the Guillemard bridge.

Kelantan education director Hussain Awang said only three of the 283 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination centres had been affected by the floods, they being Sekolah Agama Bantuan Kerajaan Al-Falah, Rantau Panjang; Sekolah Agama Bantuan Kerajaan Saadatul Qura, Kuala Krai; and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Tiang Chandi, Pasir Mas.

He said the 28 candidates at the Al-Falah school had been moved to Sekolah Menengah Agama Banggol Stol while 19 candidates at the Saadatul Qura school had been sent to Sekolah Agama Bantuan Kerajaan Darul Salam.

The 203 candidates of SMK Tiang Chandi are sitting for their examination at the school hall which is not flooded, he said, adding that the students are being accommodated at the school hostel.

In TERENGGANU, the 2,402 evacuees are in Setiu (1,540), Besut (573), Kemaman (166), Hulu Terengganu (112) and Marang (11).

The level of rivers at several places have breached the danger point in Setiu, Besut and Hulu Terengganu.

Terengganu Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Committee chairman Asha'ari Idris said coconut plantations over 200 hectares in Gong Terap and a large-scale prawn farm of 1,000 hectares in Kampung Nyatuh have been affected by the floods.

Some 60 padi farmers in Kampung Tasek and Kampung Buluh Hilir in Setiu reported losses estimated at RM500,000 after the floods damaged their crop over almost 200 hectares.

In PAHANG, 11 people were evacuated from Kampung Chendor Batu near Kuantan as the first of the flood victims in the state. A spokesman of the Pahang police headquarters said they were moved to the relief centre at the Kampung Chendor community hall after floodwaters rose to half a metre last night.

The level of four major rivers -- Triang in Bera, Belat, Lembing and Kuantan -- have breached the warning mark, said a spokesman of the Pahang Drainage and Irrigation Department.

"People living near these rivers have been advised to be on the lookout for floods," he said.

In JOHOR, 13 evacuees still remain at the relief centre at the Kampung Cahaya community hall in Air Hitam.

A spokesman of the Johor disaster operations room said the Johor National Security Council was monitoring the situation in view of intermittent heavy rain in several areas of the state.