KUANTAN: The number of families seeking shelter at temporary evacuation centres (PPS) in Terengganu has dropped as some were allowed to return home following improved weather conditions.
Number of victims at the 30 PPS in the state stood at 1,974 people from 560 families.
Terengganu Civil Defence Force Director Lieutenant Colonel Che Adam A Rahman said 223 families from Setiu and Dungun were allowed to return home.
As of 4pm today (Nov 30), Setiu has 288 victims from 21 families seeking shelter at five PPS. Earlier, there were 10 PPS with 533 victims from 189 families at 8am.
In Dungun, the number of victims seeking shelter at four PPS has dropped to 288 (from 79 families), compared to 483 victims from 134 families this morning.
Che Adam said families who remained at PPS were not allowed to leave due to safety reasons.
Updates, however, differed for Besut and Hulu Terengganu where there was an increase of victims being evacuated to the PPS.
Number of victims in Besut increased to 1,181 people from 306 families as of 4pm today compared to 290 families at 8am. The families are seeking shelter at 19 PPS.
Meanwhile, in Hulu Terengganu, 217 victims from 84 families are seeking shelter at two PPS in the district. This is a significant increase from 8am when there were only 90 victims from 27 families.
In PAHANG, continuous rain since Thursday has led to water levels in three main rivers in the state reaching the alert level this morning.
According to the infobanjir.water.gov.my with its 9am update, the Kuantan river’s water level at Pasir Kemudi had increased to 5.89m compared to its normal level which is at 2m.
The river’s alert level starts at 6.4m, while danger zone starts at 8.20m.
Sungai Belat at Sri Damai is now at 3.33m compared to its normal water level at 1.5m. Its alert level is at 4m, danger zone at 5m.
Sungai Lipis at Batu Malim, Raub, stood at 114.03m, just slightly below its alert level of 114.24. Its normal water level is at 113.2m, while its danger level is 114.8m.
Residents living near the areas, especially those with high-risk of flooding, have been urged to prepare themselves for evacuation, if the need arises.
Meanwhile, photos of a hut immersed under water in Kampung Bantal Ulu Tembeling Jerantut emerged on social media raising unwarranted fear.
The New Straits Times was informed by a resident that the images were taken at the Sungai Tembeling riverbank. He said this was a normal phenomenon and was nothing to be worried about.
The resident said shops by the river would have prepared earlier on knowing that this would happen, while residents at the village lived further from the river area and on higher ground.
Pahang Civil Defence Force director Colonel Zainal Yusoff said the water levels at the river was still rising and was showing no sign of subsiding.
Sungai Tembeling’s water level at Kuala Tahan was at 62.86m on Friday. However it was still within the safe level.
Pahang is expected to experience heavy rainfall statewide until Monday.
“Thunderstorms, heavy downpour and strong winds are expected to occur in various areas in the state today.
“The wet conditions could cause strong winds up to 50km per hour and strong waves up to 3.5m.”
In KELANTAN, a total of 198 flood victims were still taking shelter in three districts as of 4pm compared to 261 in the afternoon.
According to Welfare Department’s flood disaster portal, the 198 victims were housed at eight relief centres in Tanah Merah, Kuala Krai and Machang.
There were 155 victims in Tanah Merah, 37 in Machang and six others in Kuala Krai.
The Drainage and Irrigation Department’s website stated that Golok river has receded to 8.9m as of 4pm compared to 9.01m in the afternoon.
The Lebir river in Tualang has reached 31.78m, above its warning level of 31m.
Other rivers in Kelantan were still under their alert marks despite continuous heavy rains since yesterday.
In Tanah Merah, flood victim Roslina Mohd Ariffin from Perumahan Lubok Agong said she and her family moved to flood relief centre in SK Kelewek yesterday evening after flood hit their village.
“When we saw floodwater starting to rise, we immediately grabbed our clothes and important belongings before moving here.
“It is normal for us to come here every time the yearly monsoon season arrives," said the 50-year-old housewife.
Another victim Azizah Mohamad, 45, who was from the same area, said she was glad that she, her husband and their two children had left their homes prior to the flood.
“We are glad that we made early preparation to face the flood. Otherwise, we would have suffered huge losses," she said.
The two women were among 39 flood victims who were evacuated to the centre.
In Kuala Krai, a gotong-royong was conducted this morning to clean up a 34-year-old Chenulang mosque that was inundated by about two metres of floodwater yesterday.