Floods fully recede in Kedah and Sarawak, relief centres closed: Malaysian authorities

KUALA LUMPUR: Floods have fully receded in Kedah and Sarawak on Saturday (Feb 4), with the situation in Sabah and Johor also improving, said Malaysian authorities.

However, Penang became the latest to be hit by floods in the country, with 59 evacuees as of Saturday afternoon.

Bandar Baharu District Civil Defence officer Abdul Rahim Khairuddin said on Saturday that the bright weather in Kedah enabled floodwaters to subside quickly, enabling all 35 victims from 11 families in Mukim Relau at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Relau relief centre to return home.

In Sarawak, the State Disaster Management Committee (JPBN) said that the remaining two relief centres in Serian – at Sekolah Kebangsaan St Peter and Dewan Kampung Mundai – were closed at 2pm.

In Sabah, as at 2pm, only one relief centre in Beaufort district was still operating, housing 224 people from 63 families, according to the JPBN Secretariat.

In Penang, the number of flood victims at two relief centres in two districts remained unchanged at 59.

State Environment and Welfare Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said although the weather was bright as of 1pm  on Saturday, flood victims could not return home yet, as their houses have yet to be cleaned.

“The (relief centre) at Dewan Komuniti Kubang Menerong in Seberang Perai Utara district is still sheltering 38 people from nine families while in Seberang Perai Selatan the (relief centre) at Sekolah Kebangsaan Bakap Indah is housing 21 victims from eight families,” he told Bernama.

Following heavy rain lasting more than two hours in several areas from 3.30pm on Friday, two relief centres were opened in Penang, as of 2am on Saturday.

In Johor, the number of evacuees dropped slightly to 819 at 4pm, compared to 821 at 8am on Saturday.

Johor JPBN said in a statement that there were 793 victims from 224 families at five relief centres in Batu Pahat district, which is facing the problem of stagnant floodwaters.

In Segamat, 26 people from nine families were still taking shelter in one PPS, it said, adding that rain was forecast for nine districts this afternoon while the weather in Muar was expected to be bright.