HALIM SAID New Straits Times 17 Oct 16;
JOHOR BARU: The Civil Defence Force (APM) is ready to face any contingency when the forecasted supertide hits parts of the city tomorrow.
Johor Baru APM lieutenant Mohd Aziz Jupri said preparations for the supertide are underway at coastal areas along Johor Baru, including increasing manpower to monitor the three most at-risk areas, namely Sungai Segget, Lido beach and the Causeway.
"Since Sunday, a team of 10 personnel has been closely monitoring the city's coastal area. But with the latest information that a flash flood could hit the city, we’ve decided to increase manpower by four people to prevent or foresee any crisis."
"The team will be moving in groups of five to check affected areas each time the tide is supposed to change. The groups will be rotated," Mohd Aziz said.
It was reported yesterday that Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat warned Johor Baru folk of possible flash floods in areas such as Sungai Segget, Lido beach and the Causeway during the forecasted high tide phenomenon tomorrow.
A check with the Johor Mapping and Survey Department’s online portal revealed that tide levels forecasted for Johor Baru could reach 0.7 metres around midnight tonight, 2.19 metres at 7.24am tomorrow, 1.55 metres at 12.50pm, and 2.23 metres at 5.52pm.
Meanwhile, Johor Baru mayor A. Rahim Nin said the council will be monitoring the four floodgates located along the Lido beach during the supertide period.
He said the floodgates will be closed three hours before each scheduled high tide and reopened an hour after the tide recedes.
"However, if it rains heavily, the floodgates will be opened to allow overspill from the river to flow into the sea," he said.
The floodgates are located at Sungai Segget, Sungai Ayer Molek, Jalan Abd Samad, and Sungai Chat.
Village near Kuching inundated by flood water after king tide, heavy rain
GOH PEI PEI New Straits Times 17 Oct 16;
KUCHING: Heavy rain compounded by the king tide phenomenon has triggered flooding in Kampung Bako Lama near here today.
Kuching Fire and Rescue Department Chief Tiong Ling Hii said seven houses and a grocery store at the low-lying areas in the village were inundated with water coming from nearby overflowed rivers.
"The water level here rose to about knee-high but it has started to recede now (7.30pm)," he said.
The flood was believed to have been caused by the king tide phenomena which led to the increase in volume of water from nearby rivers," Tiong said.
"The situation is under control with our volunteers keeping an eye on things around the affected areas," he added.
The next high tide is expected to occur at 7.12am tomorrow, and estimated to reach about 6.5 meter high.
Other areas to be affected by the high tide included Kabong, Saratok, Sebuyau, Simunjan and Belawai.
Kedah prepares for possible flood, 500 relief centres can accommodate 900,000 victims
MASRIWANIE MUHAMADING New Straits Times 17 Oct 16;
ALOR STAR: There are over 500 relief centres identified throughout Kedah to accommodate about 90,000 displaced persons in the event of a big flood happening in the state.
State Welfare Department director Md Noor Chik said the department also has over 500 staff and 600 trained volunteers ready to be deployed during emergencies and natural disasters.
These volunteers, he said have made the necessary preparations to face any eventualities. "We have made all the necessary preparation should disasters such as flood or high-tide phenomenon occur.
This includes preparation in terms of food supplies and other basic necessities such as mats and blankets.
"Nearly 70 suppliers throughout the state including supermarkets have also been appointed to provide us with food and other basic necessities during these incidents," he said.
Md Noor added that among the high-risk areas identified for flood include in Alor Star, Bandar Baru, Langkawi, Kuala Muda, Kubang Pasu, and Yan.
"We understand that disasters such as flood give negative impact on the victims, hence we urge those staying at risky areas to make necessary preparation such as moving their valuables to higher ground," he said.
Md Noor was speaking to reporters at the launch Pr1sma@Community in conjunction with the National Counseling Month celebration at Taman Seri Gemilang flat in Mergong here today.
High tide phenomenon: Perak villages inundated by 3.5 metre-high waters
INTAN BAHA New Straits Times 18 Oct 16;
PARIT BUNTAR: Villagers in Kampung Sungai Megat Aris, Kuala Bagan Tiang had a rude awakening this morning when flood waters began inundating their houses as a result of the high-tide phenomenon.
Bagan Tiang Headman Shahrul Nizam Razali said the high-tide water level rose to 3.5 meters as of 1.30am.
"This caused the Sungai Megat Aris to overflow and flood most of the villagers’ houses in ankle-deep water.
"The JKK will carry out a census for all 50 houses affected to determine those in need of aid," he said.
In spite of the flood, no evacuation order was made as the water subsided two hours later.
The Mentri Besar (MB) of Perak’s Special Officer Datuk Abu Bakar Mat Ali visited the village at 3am.
"I surveyed the damage on behalf of MB Datuk Seri Diraja Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and the district officer, and we will assist the affected villagers in terms of food and financial aid.
"The state government will take a follow-up measure to erect bunds, including an L-shaped bund in Ban Pecah," Abu Bakar said, adding that the L-shaped bund is in progress and 80 per cent completed.
The bund will be the main barrier against the high-tide phenomenon and will help avoid major overflow that would flood the villages.
A small restaurant owner and flooding victim, Jaliah Hasan, said this is the highest the water level has risen in the past three days. "I was awoken by other villagers at 1.30am. They were shouting that the water was rising.
"With the help of my neighbours, I only managed to lift my washing machine, refrigerator and some other furniture to a higher level," she said.
Jaliah said she has been unable to run her business as usual since the high-tide hit on Saturday.
"I hope the local authority can build bunds to avoid the same incident happening again," she added.
High tide phenomenon: Villagers in Kuala Muda fear for their safety
MASRIWANIE MUHAMADING New Straits Times 17 Oct 16;
ALOR STAR: Many villagers living in Kuala Muda expressed fear over their safety following the high tide phenomenon which hit their villages for the second time this year.
One of the victims, Mat Tahir Hassin, 58, said this is the second time his village Kampung Padang Salim been affected by the high tide phenomenon within three weeks.
“My family and I have been living here for about 30 years now but this is only the second time that we have been affected by the high tide phenomenon. The first incident took place last month.
“There was heavy rain together with strong winds during the high tide phenomenon.
We have faced the tsunami years ago in 2004 and now this. Of course we are worried,” he said.
Mat Tahir, who lives with his wife and two children, said the water level was only about 8 to 10cm deep yesterday but they decided to take shelter at the nearby relief centre, fearing that the situation would get worst.
“I believe the high tide will occur around 12.30am or much later. We have already moved our belongings to higher places earlier yesterday, so we have no problem rushing to the nearby relief centre,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kampung Sungai Meriam Village Development and Security Committee member, Abdullah Mat Usop, 44, said the water level in his village beginning to rise around 12am yesterday and reached below knee-level around 1am.
“We have a total of 114 families in the village and most of them are living in one-story village houses.
Fortunately only three families were badly affected by the high tide phenomenon this time.
“The first incident which occurred in September affected a total of 75 families as the water rose up to about 2 metres deep.
“Thanks to the early alert provided by the authorities, many of the villagers have made early preparation to face the situation including moving their belongings to higher places.
Our only hope is that the incident would not be repeated,” he said.
As at 4pm today, a total of 85 people from 24 families in six villages in the Kuala Muda district were evacuated to the relief centres beginning 12am following the high tide flooding.
Kuala Muda district Civil Defence Force (APM) officer Lieutenant-Major Azahar Ahmad said the villages affected are Kampung Masjid, Kampung Ujung Matang, Kampung Padang Salim, and Kampung Paya in Kota Kuala Muda , and Kampung Sungai Yu and Kampung Sungai Meriam in Bukit Meriam.
Azahar, who is also the committee member of disaster management of the district, said four relief centres have been opened so far to accommodate all the victims.
The centres are SK Seri Kuala (29 victims), Kampung Paya Public Hall (20 victims), Haji Yusof Bukit Kecil Mosque’s Hall (24 victims) and the home of Sungai Meriam’s Village Development and Security Committee chairman (12 victims).
The high tide phenomenon has hit several areas in the district since Saturday and is expected to continue until Thursday.
Based on the statement release by the Meteorology Department, the readings of the wave level is expected to reach between 2.8m and 3m, with the highest reading forecasted on Tuesday at 1.47am and Wednesday at 2.24am.
Six Kedah villages flooded, relief centres take in almost 100 evacuees
MASRIWANIE MUHAMADING New Straits Times 18 Oct 16;
ALOR STAR: The number of high tide flooding evacuees from six villages in Kuala Muda district here rose to 94 today.
Kuala Muda district Civil Defence Force (APM) officer Lieutenant-Major Azahar Ahmad said the six affected villages were Kampung Masjid, Kampung Ujung Matang, Kampung Padang Salim, Kampung Paya, Kampung Sungai Yu and Kampung Sungai Meriam.
Azahar, who is also the secretariat committee member of disaster management for Kuala Muda district, said four relief centres were opened to accommodate the victims who come from 27 families.
The relief centres are SK Seri Kuala (29 victims from 12 families), Kampung Paya Public Hall (20 victims from four families), Haji Yusof Bukit Kecil Mosque's Hall (24 victims from five families), and the house of Sungai Meriam Village Development and Security Committee chairman (21 victims from six families).
"The high tide phenomenon hit several areas in the district on Saturday and is expected to continue until Thursday.
"But the relief centres were only opened at 12am and 1.30am on Monday, when the phenomenon resulted in flooding in some parts of the villages," Azahar said.
Based on a statement released by the Meteorology Department, wave levels are expected to reach between 2.8 metres and 3 metres, with the highest reading forecasted to occur at around 1.47am today and at around 2.24am tomorrow.
High tide, rain trigger floods across Perak, but waters receding
NOOR HIDAYAH TANZIZIAND SHAIFUL SHAHRIN AHMAD PAUZI New Straits Times 17 Oct 16;
MANJUNG: Access to Kampung Bagan Panchor here was partly blocked as water rose due to the high-tide phenomenon today.
About 3 kilometres of the village road was inundated with water, and flooding was exacerbated by a downpour since midnight.
Manjung district Drainage and Irrigation Department engineer M. Sasitharan said the water level started rising at 1.30am and reached 3.4 metres, but began receding at about 5am.
"The situation is still under control, as the water did not reach housing areas.
The sandbags placed in high-risk areas also helped prevent water from spilling over,” he said.
In Parit Buntar, about 20 houses at Kuala Bagan Tiang were inundated with water after a downpour since 1.30am yesterday.
The water rose to 0.35 meters, but started to recede at 4am. Resident Mohd Nizam Jamaluddin, 44, said the water rose in less than an hour during the downpour, causing villagers and the authorities stationed in the area to go on alert for the possibility of flooding.
In Taman Kuala Sepetang, the water rose ankle-high and flooded some 30 houses.
Villager Lee Kang Chai, 70, said the housing area frequently experiences such conditions due to the high-tide phenomenon, as it is located merely 500 metres from Sungai Kapal Changkol.
He said some residents had installed steel barricades around their house compounds and in front of doors.
"The water level started rising since 4.30am due to non-stop rain, but we had expected it to recede quickly," Lee said.
Mohd Tahir from Kampung Menteri said he is grateful for the assistance by the Larut Matang and Selama District Offices, which had distributed sandbags as additional measures to prevent water from spilling over to the village area.
"The Civil Defence Department and Kolej Komuniti had set up the sand bund earlier.
If not for that, the village could have been flooded like what happened last month (due to the high-tide).
"But we might need to add more sandbags if the water level gets higher," said Tahir.
Additional reporting by and FARAH SUHAIDAH OTHMAN.
High tide in Klang forces evacuation
ALLISON LAI The Star 18 Oct 16;
KLANG: The entire Kampung Sementa at Batu 5 in Jalan Kapar here is off-limits after it was inundated by a second round of flooding brought on by high tide.
The first flood hit at dawn on Sunday when a portion of the bund collapsed, flooding more than 10 houses and damaging eight cars.
A broken river bund in Sungai Keramat, next to the village, compounded the situation yesterday morning. The tide was 5.7m high at 6.35am.
A earlier check by The Star found that the water was still rising at about 5.50am yesterday.
Sounds of the river water gushing in through the broken bund could be heard some 100m away.
By 6am, Jalan Kebun Baru, one of the main roads to the village was only accessible by four-wheel drives or bigger vehicles.
Fifteen minutes later, firemen stationed at the village ordered the villagers to evacuate the place, as the flood waters rose quickly.
The waters only began to recede at 7.30am.
Halim Bahar, 38, who waded through the flood waters to check on his home, said the water level rose up to his waist.
While the adults showed concern, youngsters were seen playing in the flood waters.
“Villagers at Batu 5 were told to evacuate due to safety concerns after the bund broke,” said Selangor Disaster Management Committee chairman Ahmad Fairuz Mohd Yusof.
“As for Kampung Tok Muda in Kapar, seawater overflowed at four spots this morning,” he said yesterday. “However, no houses or roads were flooded,” he added.
“Sand bags placed near the jetty successfully prevented the river from overflowing.”
In Sabak Bernam, seven coastal areas were inundated. The situation was the same at Pantai Remis and Sungai Sembilang in Kuala Selangor and the beach areas in Pantai Kelanang and Morib in Kuala Langat.
However, no major damage was recorded.
As at 1pm, 26 evacuation centres were activated in the state with 92 families being displaced.
The Dewan Kg Tok Muda evacuation centre in Kapar here recorded the most number of evacuees with 236 victims. This was followed by 63 people in Dewan Sg Air Tawar in Sabak Bernam and 60 others in Dewan Dewan Dato Ahmad Razali here.
Coastal village endures third day of floods
ALLISON LAI The Star 18 Oct 16;
KLANG: Loud siren wails went off as early as 6am when the overflowing waters of Sungai Keramat began flooding Kampung Sementa at Batu 5, Jalan Kapar, here, for the third consecutive day Tuesday.
By 7am, the small coastal village just north of Klang was inundated by the flood waters brought on by high tide.
The water rose faster than the day before and by 7.30am, several roads to the village became inaccessible.
Ten minutes later, it started to rain.
It would have been worse, had it not been for the temporary measures taken over the weekend - recently built bunds and hastily gathered sand bags managed to slow the first wave of floods at dawn on Sunday.
That was the day a portion of a bund collapsed, causing water from the 5.6m-high tide to flood into more than 10 houses, damaging eight cars.
The second round of floods on Monday left the village in 5.7m-high flood waters.
Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said Monday evening that 4,000 sand bags to temporarily strengthen a bund had been installed by the Drainage and Irrigation Department to prevent flood waters from flowing over borrow pits and into nearby villages.
Selangor Disaster Management Committee's coordinator for Sementa Mohd Azmi Mat Sangir said the temporary measures had somehow abated the full impact of the flood waters.
“The repaired bund helped to withstand the high tide for about half an hour before it gave way again.
“This bought us some time as the tide then started receding, taking with it the flood waters.
“Compared to the day before, the water level was lower and fewer places were flooded," he said.
At 9am, when the flood waters began to recede, 26 evacuation centres had been activated, with 482 victims from 115 families being displaced.
The Dewan Kg Tok Muda evacuation centre in Kapar here had the most number of evacuees - 236.
This was followed by 63 at the Dewan Sg Air Tawar in Sabak Bernam and 39 at the Dewan Dewan Dato Ahmad Razali here.
High tide inundates six Kedah villages, 85 residents evacuated
MASRIWANIE MUHAMADING New Straits Times 17 Oct 16;
ALOR STAR: A total of 85 victims from 24 families in six villages in Kuala Muda district were evacuated to relief centres beginning at 12am today due to high tide flooding. Kuala Muda district Civil Defence Force (APM) officer Lieutenant-Major Azahar Ahmad said the villages affected were Kampung Masjid, Kampung Ujung Matang, Kampung Padang Salim, Kampung Paya, Kampung Sungai Yu and Kampung Sungai Meriam.
Azahar, who is also a committee member of disaster management of the Kuala Muda district, said four relief centres have been opened so far to accommodate all the victims, namely SK Seri Kuala (29 victims), Kampung Paya Public Hall (20 victims), Haji Yusof Bukit Kecil Mosque's Hall (24 victims) and the house of Sungai Meriam Village Development and Security Committee chairman (12 victims).
"Three of the relief centres – SK Seri Kuala, Kampung Paya Public Hall and Haji Yusof Bukit Kecil Mosque's Hall – were opened beginning 12am today, while the house of the Sungai Meriam Village Development and Security Committee chairman began welcoming victims since 1.30am.
"Four of the villages affected, namely Kampung Masjid, Kampung Ujung Matang, Kampung Padang Salim and Kampung Paya, are located in Haji Kudong in Kota Kuala Muda, while the remaining two villages are located in Bukit Meriam,” Azahar said.
The high tide phenomenon hit several areas of the district on Saturday and is expected to continue until Thursday.
Based on a statement released by the Meteorology Department, wave levels are expected to reach between 2.8m and 3m, with the highest reading forecasted to occur on Tuesday at 1.47am and on Wednesday at 2.24am.
