Southern Malaysia hit by severe flooding by Sean Batty
In the state of Johor, situated in southern Malaysia, 95,000 people have been evacuated from their homes after a second wave of flooding hit the state in as many months.
Johor, which borders Singapore, has already experienced severe flooding in the last month, killing 17 people after torrential rains flooded many towns and villages in late December.
People were just staring to return to their homes after having stayed in relief shelters since the last lot of flooding when the latest wave hit. Four days of continuous rain has lashed Johor, with many of the major rivers in the area bursting their banks and cutting off a number of towns. Some villages are said to have been completely submerged.
Luckily since many people were still in shelter from December, the state has averted a major disaster of mass loss of life. There are, however, reports of two deaths due to leptospirosis, a water-borne disease that is spread through rat, dog and cattle urine.
During flooding it can be difficult to stop water-borne diseases spreading with so much dirty water around. However, the government is reported to be mobilising teams from across the country to establish medical units at all the relief shelters in an attempt to try and avert a health crisis.
The flooding has been blamed on strong upper winds coming from the northeast, which have increased wind sheer. A strong wind sheer allows thunderstorms to continue growing larger and therefore can bring very heavy downpours, which is the case here. The Malaysian Meteorological Department have forecast more heavy rain and thunderstorms for the next 24 hours, which will only exacerbate the current situation.
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