Flood situation in Terengganu improves

2009/11/07

KUALA TERENGGANU, Sat: The flood situation in Terengganu is reported to have improved with only 588 victims from four districts still remaining at the evacuation centres as at 8pm today. (Updated: 9.50pm)

A spokesman from the Flood Operations Room of the State Security Council said 534 victims from 119 families in the Dungun district were still staying at six evacuation centres in the district.

The spokesman said 24 victims from six families in the Besut district were staying at three evacuation centres, while in Kuala Terengganu, 28 people from seven families were staying at an evacuation centre.

There was only one victim, a senior citizen, in the Setiu district.

The spokesman said many of the flood victims in the four districts were allowed to return home when the water level began to recede following good weather since noon.

The water level in the rivers had also dropped to below the alert level.

He said the Terengganu-Pahang and Terengganu-Kelantan trunk roads were not affected and open to all traffic.

In KOTA BARU, the number of flood victims staying at the relief centres throughout Kelantan tonight dropped slightly compared with the number this afternoon.

A spokesman of the State Flood Operations Room said that as at 8pm, the number of victims staying at the relief centres stood at 2,031 compared with 2,328 earlier.

"They are being accommodated at 29 flood relief centres throughout Kelantan with Pasir Mas having the highest number totalling 1,338 victims.

"Tanah Merah (413 victims), Machang (190), Kota Baharu and Bachok with 29 and 61 victims respectively," he said.

Roads that were still closed were the Jalan Kota Baharu-Jalan Pantai Cahaya Bulan in Kampung Tikat and Pasir Mas-Jalan Panglima Bayu-Rantau Panjang.

However, these roads were open to heavy vehicles.

The water level in Sungai Golok, Rantau Panjang and Sungai Kelantan in Kusial, Tanah Merah was still at the danger level with the level in Rantau Panjang at 10.42 metres (danger level 9 metres) and Kusial 17.06 metres (danger level 16 metres).

The water level in other places was reported to be receding with good weather reported tonight.

In ALOR SETAR, the situation in the Padang Terap district worsened with more victims being evacuated to relief centres.

A spokesman of the District Flood Operations Room, Salim Mahmud said the number of evacuees rose from 474 people to 579 as at 6pm.

"So far, 14 villages are flooded and 12 relief centres have been opened to accommodate flood victims," he said when contacted.

Meanwhile, the water level at Sungai Padang Terap was still at the danger level at 18.8 metres. -- BERNAMA