Malaysia: Residents in east coast brace for wrath of floods again

The Star 30 Oct 15;

KUALA TERENGGANU: Residents in the east coast states suffer the wrath of the floods in the year-end monsoon season each year.

Abdul Malik Muhamad, a 39-year-old education technology officer from Tanjung Damai in Gong Badak, here, said the monsoon season brings sleepless nights.

“All we think about is the floods. My children aged two and 10 have started asking me if this year too we will have to put up in a relief centre.

“With the flood come snakes. So, it is better for me to start looking for another place to temporarily stay,” he said yesterday.

Self-employed Haslinda Mohd Zanggi, 44, and her family are not taking any chances.

“I have learnt from past experience. The car is always parked at the raised roadside.”

In KUANTAN, odd-job worker Zulkifli Ismail, 58, said high tide and the heavy rain in December flooded his village, Kam­pung Pasir Garam, making it inaccessible.

“By November, I will pack our essential belongings just in case my family has to move to a relief centre. I usually stay back to make sure nobody burgles our house.”

For keropok seller Roslina Othman, 36, stocking up on food is most important.

Her house is on stilts so while “waves appear in front of my house”, she said the water doesn’t come in.

In GUA MUSANG, Amran Mat, 49, of Kampung Tiong hopes that this year will be more forgiving as his house and belongings were all lost in the floods last year.

“There is nothing we can do but watch our property get washed away. The only way to see this through is with God’s help,” said the farmer with seven children, who have already moved to a relative’s house nearby.

Nik Mat Nik Dasuki, 50, regrets living by the Nenggiri river in Kuala Betis.

He can still remember his house being swept away in half an hour.


Rough seas as north-east winds blow in
SYED AZHAR, SHARANPAL SINGH RANDHAWA, M. KUMAR, IVAN LOH, andONG HAN SEAN
The Star 30 Oct 15;

PETALING JAYA: The wet and wild north-east monsoon appears to have swept away most of the haze.

The weather forecast by the Malaysian Meteorological Depart­ment warned of winds up to 50km per hour and waves as high as 3.5m coming from southern Vietnam.

“The winds are expected to last until Tuesday.

“The strong winds and rough sea conditions are dangerous to small boats, and recreational activities at sea,” the department said in a statement on its website.

Thunderstorms have been predicted for Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Johor, Pahang, Kelantan, Sarawak and Labuan.

The department added that rain was expected all along the east coast of the peninsula and Sabah next week in the morning followed by thunderstorms in the evening in most parts of the country.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said the relevant authorities had met yesterday to discuss flood measures.

A total of 5,161 flood relief centres had been made ready and could shelter some 1.5 million victims, he added.

Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the Government would help farmers relocate livestock, moveable agricultural produce, machinery and other resources to secure centres if floods hit farms.

Among the worst flood-hit states last year were Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak and Perlis.

Ahmad Shabery said the total losses in the agricultural sector came to RM297.83mil – RM106.8mil for damaged infrastructure and RM152.97mil in lost produce.


Floods and winds wreak havoc in Perak and Terengganu
The Star 30 Oct 15;

PETALING JAYA: The first signs of the monsoon season are here with heavy downpour, floods and landslides wreaking havoc in Pantai Remis in Perak and Batu Burok in Kuala Terengganu.

A total of 118 people from 31 families in four villages in Perak were forced to be evacuated following heavy rains and landslides.

In Terengganu, a severe thunderstorm blew canopies and bamboo sheds off a beachside cultural village at Batu Buruk.

The thunderstorm forced events, held at the beachside early yesterday morning and sche­duled to end tomorrow, to be cancelled.

Traders from as far as Kuala Lumpur, Johor and Pahang, who were selling their products under the canopies and in their bamboo sheds, were seen trying to hold on to their canopies and items, as the storm tore through.

Azizah Rasip, 26, from Pahang, a pet trader at the 2015 Cultural Village Carnival at Pantai Batu Buruk, was distraught after discovering that two of her Lionhead rabbits, which cost about RM500 each, had died while several others were missing after the cages holding them were blown away.

Hasnan Hassan from Kuala Lumpur, a 52-year-old fruit pickle trader, said this was one of the worst storms he had experienced, leaving him over RM700 poorer.

“All of a sudden, things and canopies were flying. One by one, the bamboo sheds started collapsing. Some people ran off, trying to save themselves from getting hurt while others held on to canopies.

“Things happened so fast. It was horrifying. All I could think of was to take shelter as I was worried about my safety,” he said.

The early morning thunderstorm also damaged the ceiling of the porch at the TH Hotel in Gong Badak here.

In Kampung Sungai Batu in Pantai Remis, a downpour at 6pm on Wednesday left a house damaged when a tree fell on it.

Three other houses were also damaged but no one was hurt.

Pantai Remis Fire and Rescue Department Superintendent Amir Ahmad said the affected villages were Kampung Tebuk Yan, Kampung Nelayan Sungai Batu Pantai Tin, Kampung Sungai Batu and Kampung Parit Merican.

A total of 118 people from 31 families from the four villages, have been evacuated to the Kampung Sungai Batu and Kampung Nelayan Sungai Batu Pantai Tin community halls.

The three-hour downpour caused the nearby river to overflow, resulting in flash floods, landslides and uprooting of trees.

Operations to evacuate the flood victims, beginning 6pm on Wednesday continued early yesterday morning.


‘Rain could see rise in dengue’
MARTIN CARVALHO, LOSHANA K SHAGAR, T. AVINESHWARAN, andVICTORIA BROWN: AT THE DEWAN RAKYAT
The Star 30 Oct 15;

WHILE the monsoon season is seen as bringing some respite to the haze plaguing the country, it may be a double-edged sword with the dengue situation, says the Health Ministry.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said the extra rain could cause a rise in the number of dengue cases and the ministry was monitoring the situation closely.

He said if rainwater pooled in many areas, this would increase the number of possible breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquito.

But if the rainfall helped flush drains, this would work against the mosquito and dengue, he said.

“We have seen a drop in the number of dengue cases, from more than 3,000 a week to more than 2,000,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday.

He noted that Selangor, mainly the Klang Valley, had many dengue hotspots due to its numerous construction sites.

A total of 94,175 dengue cases and 293 deaths have been recorded nationwide from January till early this month.

According to the ministry, more than half of these cases were in Selangor, followed by Kuala Lumpur (6,194).