ALOR STAR: The number of flood evacuees in Kedah increased by 566 people as of 4pm today, brining the total number to 3,439 people at 22 relief centres.
Kedah Civil Defence Force Disaster Management Committee coordinator Captain Saifuddin Abdullah said two new relief centres were opened at SK Jitra 2 and Dewan Manggol Malau.
SMK Seri Mahawangsa relief centre recorded the highest number of evacuees with 505 from 242 families followed by SK Bukit Hijau with 435 people from 103 families.
He said the increase was due to excess water from the river upstream overflowing to the low-lying areas on the coast.
“Most of the areas affected are in the downstream of rivers such as Kota Star, Kubang Pasu, Pendang and Pokok Sena,” he said.