The Star/Asia News Network AsiaOne 6 Nov 12;
PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA - The number of flood evacuees has risen to more than 4,000 due to continued heavy rains in Johor, Selangor, Perak and Malacca.
The National Security Council, in its website (http://portalbanjir.mkn.gov.my/) said 4,248 evacuees were moved to 30 relief centres Tuesday evening, compared to 3,675 on Monday evening.
Johor continued to be the worst-hit area with 1,979 evacuees, followed by Selangor (1,957), Perak (203) and Malacca (109).
Batu Pahat and Ledang were the worst hit areas in Johor, while Kuala Langat and Sepang was the most affected in Selangor.
Melaka Tengah and Jasin were the areas flooded in Malacca, while Hilir Perak in Perak was also affected.
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Corporation Sdn Bhd meanwhile said that it had put in place flood mitigation plans following a flash flooding incident near its construction site at Section 16 in Petaling Jaya.
The company's director of strategic communications and public relations Amir Mahmood Razak said the plans put in place by its contractors, aimed to keep drainage at all its construction sites clear of rubbish to ensure such incidents do not recur.
“We also have our Emergency Response Team (ERT) on standby with machines to monitor all drainage systems local to the sites, and assist DBKL to immediately clear debris, if any, from drains,” said Amir Mahmood in a statement.
Monsoon deluge begins a month early
The Star/Asia News Network AsiaOne 6 Nov 12;
PETALING JAYA - The heavy rainfall and flooding have come a lot earlier than expected, considering that last year's northeast monsoon season only started a full month later.
"We were expecting the rainfall to come early, but not this early," said National Security Council secretary Datuk Mohamed Thajudeen Abdul Wahab.
Last year, he said, the council had braced for floods at the end of November, but "the waters only rose in the first week of December.
"This year, the rains started in October," Thajudeen said, adding that the council was nonetheless ready for the worst, with all its national level meetings on flood preparations having been concluded a month ago.
The council said the worst hit states were Johor, Selangor, Perak and Malacca.
According to the council's website (http://portalbanjir.mkn.gov.my/), the eight worst hit spots are Batu Pahat, Kluang and Ledang in Johor, Hilir Perak, Melaka Tengah and Jasin and Kuala Langat and Sepang in Selangor.
Flash floods also occurred in several areas in the Klang Valley following several hours of non-stop rain, causing massive traffic jams at stretches of the Federal Highway, including the road leading to the Subang airport.
There were no deaths, but the council said that 3,675 people had been evacuated to 35 relief centres as of press time yesterday, with the highest number recorded in Johor (2,042) followed by Selangor (1,255).
The portal said that over 10 rivers in Johor, Selangor, Perak, Perlis and Negri Sembilan had reached danger levels.
Motorists have, in the meantime, taken to Twitter to report a flash flood at Glenmarie, near the exit to the North Klang Valley Expressway.
A Twitter user @AjamHudson reported flooding at Kota Damansara while @meerakamaruddin tweeted that the floodwaters at PTPL College in Shah Alam rose to knee-high levels.
Meanwhile, Tenaga Nasional Berhad said: "Ensure that appliances that have been submerged under floodwaters are checked and tested by an electrician registered with the Energy Commission before using them again."
In a statement, it urged people to remind their children not to go near fallen electric poles or exposed electric wires.
"If you see fallen electric poles or exposed electric wires, call the nearest TNB office immediately or TNB CareLine at 15454," it said.
TNB said it would automatically shut down the power supply to an area once it detected a dangerous floodwater level.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, meanwhile, said contingency plans were in place to ensure minimal disruptions to the SPM and STPM examinations.
"The flood is nothing new, we face this every year. What is important is for those affected to follow instructions issued by the authorities if they need to be evacuated," he said after opening the World Innovation Forum yesterday.
Weak El Nino spells more rain until March
New Straits Times 7 Nov 12;
KUALA LUMPUR: The wet season which had rendered close to 4,000 victims to be relocated so far, is expected to last until early March next year, said the Meteorological Department yesterday.
Findings by the department showed that this year's monsoon would be a tougher ride as a weak El Nino, which had started around September, is expected to continue until next February.
"With it's weak intensity, the El Nino is not expected to affect the weather conditions much in Malaysia.
"The weather would be harsh, but the intensity of the storms would not be extreme," the department said in a statement.
The north-east monsoon, which had hit the nation this month, started off as a steady wind from the east coast. During this season, states in the east coast and south of the peninsular, coastal areas of Sarawak and Sabah's east coast would experience heavy rains, which would last up to two to three days due to the surges of the monsoon.
"In extreme weather cases, episodes of heavy rain can last up to three to eight days which could result in flooding.
"However from now until January, wetter weather is to be expected throughout the east coast states, especially in Kelantan and Terengganu."
Perlis, Kedah and Penang on the west coast may also experience flooding.
East Pahang as well as low lying areas in Johor, such as Segamat, Mersing, Kluang, Batu Pahat and Kota Tinggi, are in the danger zone.
Department spokesman Ramlan Ab Rahman from the central forecast division said the severity of the rain would differ from time to time according to the east coast winds.
"The west coast will be one of the worst hit areas as the east coast wind will be directly impacting that region. Heavy rainfall is to be expected in the afternoons."
