More people have been evacuated in Pahang and Terengganu as the east coast states continued to endure the annual monsoon floods, which have also struck Kelantan and Johor.
Pahang has the highest number of flood evacuees among the states affected.
As of 10am Sunday, there were 40,819 evacuees in the state, Terengganu (22,391) and Kelantan (552).
[Picture -the water level increased, flooding a house at Kuala Tayor for the second time, this morning]
A spokesman of the Pahang police flood operations room said all the evacuees were being housed at 149 relief centres.
“Kuantan remains the district with the highest number of evacuees, at 34,426. They are staying at 42 relief centres,” he said.
Pekan has 3,329 evacuees at 31 relief centres; Maran, 1,034 (19); Temerloh, 1,002 (22); Jerantut, 520 (11);
Raub, 209 (10); Bera, 189 (seven); Rompin, at 57 (three) and and Lipis, 53 (four), he added.
Several stretches of major roads remain closed to traffic. Among them are Jalan Kuantan-Sungai Lembing at KM28; Jalan Kuantan-Segamat at KM72; Jalan Jerantut-Lipis at Kampung Sepial and Jalan Temerloh-Bera at KM14 and KM18.
Meanwhile, Pahang Disaster Relief Committee chairman Datuk Seri Muhammad Safian Ismail acknowledged an initial delay in the supply of food to the relief centres. He attributed this to a sudden and unforeseen rise in the number of evacuees as well as disruption of transport facilities due to floodwaters cutting off roads.
He also said that Kuantan registered a record 900 millilitres of rainfall from Dec 1 to 3, equivalent to thrice the amount for the whole month of December last year.
This resulted in the drainage system unable to cope with the situation, he said, adding that the improvement of the drainage system in several areas in Kuantan had drained water fast. – Bernama
