The East Coast Highway at Kilometre 69.5 Karak-Bentong is impassable to vehicles due to floods on December 19, 2021. — Bernama pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 — The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a red alert for extreme rain in Jeli, Kelantan, just as videos began emerging online of rising waters in the area.
The department also issued an amber alert for very heavy and persistent rain across Tanah Merah, Machang, Kuala Krai and Gua Musang in Kelantan.
The second-highest alert level was also placed on Terengganu’s Besut, Dungun, Hulu Terengganu and Kemaman districts as well as Jerantut, Maran, Kuantan, and Pekan in Pahang.
Pahang is already the state worst hit by floods at the moment, with nearly 6,000 people displaced so far.
MetMalaysia also declared a yellow alert for all of Johor and Perlis as well as parts of Perak, Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang, warning residents to prepare for sustained rainfall from now until New Year’s Day and possibly beyond.
The latest warning was a marked escalation from the previous one MetMalaysia issued nearly a day ago, which placed a yellow alert on most of the states mentioned above.
Across the South China Sea, the department also placed a yellow alert for heavy rain for the east coast of Sabah that was expected to last until January 2.
Under the department’s rain warning system, red signifies dangerous levels of rain exceeding 240mm per day. Amber, the second highest level, indicates heavy rain that could worsen to dangerous levels.
Yellow indicates that heavy rain was expected between one and three days from the day the alert was issued or sustained rain that was not heavy in volume.