KOTA BARU: THE worsening floods in the east coast states claimed its first victim when an epileptic man drowned in Kampung Limbat here yesterday.
In another case, a 20-month-old baby was believed to have drowned when it slipped off its mother’s arms and fell into the floodwaters in Kampung Telekong, Kuala Krai, about 3am yesterday.
Kelantan police chief Datuk Mazlan Lazim said the body of Baharom Mohamad, 25, was found floating in floodwaters in the village about 11am.
In the case of the baby, he said, the mother was cradling it while wading through 1m-deep water with three other children when the incident happened. The body has yet to be found.
The number of flood victims in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang yesterday surged to more than 15,000 and the number is expected to rise as the rain continues.
In Kelantan, the flood swept across 10 districts, affecting 8,000 people as at 7pm yesterday, a marked increase from some 3,000 people on Wednesday.
Based on statistics issued by the state flood operations room, the worst hit district was Kuala Krai with 1,873 people in relief shelters.
The other affected areas are Pasir Mas (1,628), Tanah Merah (1,458), Machang (1,118), Kota Baru (763), Pasir Putih (626), Tumpat (126), Gua Musang (82) and Bachok (60).
Jeli, which recorded almost 1,000 evacuees on Wednesday, improved yesterday with only 49 people staying at the shelters.
Several river measuring points were reported to be above their respective danger levels as at 5pm with Sungai Lebir in Tualang at 36.5m (danger level 35m), Sungai Kelantan in Krai at 26.7m (danger level 25m) and Sungai Golok at Rantau Panjang at 10.7m (danger level 9m), among others.
Several roads, including Jalan Kota Baru-Kuala Terengganu in Wakaf Bunut, Pasir Putih, and Jalan Banggol Kulim to Rantau Panjang Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex, were closed while Jalan Kota Baru-Pantai Cahaya Bulan in Kampung Tikat and Jalan Kubang Kerian-Bachok in Kampung Banggu were off limits to light vehicles.
In Terengganu, the situation worsened 6,825 victims took shelter at 93 relief centres as at 4.30pm yesterday, an increase from the 4,209 victims recorded in the morning.
Hulu Terengganu recorded the highest number of victims with 2,268, followed by Besut (2,026), Setiu (1,213 ), Kemaman (751) and Dungun (567).
In Pahang, the flood situation took a turn for the worse with the number of evacuees rising to 831 as at 6pm yesterday, from 620 recorded in the morning.
The SMK Pandan flood relief centre had 483 evacuees from 127 families, followed by SK Fakeh Samad (252), SK Kempadang (37), Sri Damai Community Hall (47) and SMK Gudang Rasau (12 ).
Kuantan police chief Assistant Commissioner Abdul Aziz Salleh said Km34 of Jalan Kuantan-Maran and Km22 of Jalan Panching Utara-Sungai Lembing continued to be closed to traffic as floodwaters had risen to 0.6m since Wednesday.
Checks by the New Straits Times revealed that most residents in flood-prone areas here had begun packing up their belongings, while others had made arrangements to send their young and elderly family members to safer places.
Housewife Jamaliah Harun, 47, from Permatang Badak, Kuantan, said heavy rain last year had caused her house to be inundated for more than two days.
“Hopefully, the rain will stop soon as the weather condition is making us worried.
“All the villagers are praying that there will be not be a repeat of last year’s floods.
“My furniture and electrical appliances were damaged in the floods last year.
“I am not prepared to go through it again,” the mother of three said, adding that she and her family would move to a nearby school if their home was hit by floods.
Additional reporting by Zarina Abdullah and Rosliza Mohamed