Flooding in Malaysia by Peter Gibbs
Heavy rains caused flash floods throughout Malaysia over the weekend. The east coast was worst affected; the floods claimed 7 lives in Kelantan, Pahang and Johor state according to local media. More than 4 000 people were sent to relief centres as forecasters warned of more monsoon rains across the country.
A heavy downpour has worsened the flood situation in Segamat, with at least two villages, Kampung Jawa and Taman Segar, cut off from the rest of the district.
The Meteorological Department said heavy downpours will ease but warned that rain, albeit less heavy, would continue over the next few days in flood-prone states on Malaysia’s east coast.
All streams in Kelantan remained at dangerous levels and in Terengganu, several main rivers have risen above their alert levels.
Last December floods in Johor left more than 110 000 people displaced in a disaster that caused over a billion dollars in damage.
On the east coast, the monsoon season is between November and March. On the west coast, the rainy season is from April through May, and again from October through November.
|
|
