KUALA LUMPUR: The flood situation in the east coast of the peninsula has worsened, with the number of victims evacuated rising to 7,308 evacuees at 8am today compared to 6,627 yesterday evening.
With many rivers in the two states having crossed the danger levels or about to reach them, the respective state disaster management committees have been monitoring the situation closely.
In Terengganu, the number of victims increased to 6,305 people compared to 5,776 at 4 pm yesterday. This led to the opening of three more relief centres, making it 49 so far.
Terengganu disaster management committee secretariat chief Che Adam A Rahman said Kemaman district was the worst hit with 5,108 evacuees as opposed to 4,729 yesterday.
In Dungun, the number of evacuees rose to 381, compared to 326 before this while in Hulu Terengganu, there are now 806 evacuees compared to 710 yesterday evening. In Setiu, the number of flood evacuees remains at 11.
Meanwhile, Hulu Terengganu district police chief Mohd Adli Mat Daud reminded the people not to treat the flood situation as a “water carnival”, adding that many, especially children, have been seen playing in floodwaters.
He cautioned that while floods may be a normal annual occurrence, the situation can be unpredictable, especially for children, when strong currents hit.
In Kelantan, the number of evacuees in four districts jumped to 1,003 people as of compared to 851 victims yesterday evening, with Gua Musang becoming the latest district after Tanah Merah, Kuala Krai and Pasir Mas to be hit by floods.
Pasir Mas has the highest number of evacuees with 603 people, followed by Kuala Krai (226) and Tanah Merah (161).
Meanwhile, Kelantan Fire and Rescue Department deputy director Mohd Wildan Azhari has advised the people not to move to flood relief centres on their own as they run the risk of being stranded in floodwaters.