Flood crisis deepens in Johor with 3,449 victims, other states remain unchanged

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 — While the number of flood victims in Johor continued to rise, the flood situation in Perak and Terengganu this morning remained the same as last night.

In Johor the number of victims surged to 3,449 people as of 8 am compared to 2,524 recorded last night.

State Disaster Management Committee (JPBN) chairman Tan Sri Dr Azmi Rohani said all the victims, from 1,023 families, have been placed in 36 temporary relief centres operating in the five affected districts.

“Kota Tinggi is the worst hit with 1,160 victims, followed by Kulai (748 victims), Johor Bahru (605 victims), Kluang (506 victims) and Pontian (430 victims),” he said in a statement today.

Azmi said three rivers were reported to have exceeded the danger level, with the readings at Sungai Lenik station in Ladang Chaah, Batu Pahat at 6.03 metres (m), Sungai Kahang in Kampung Contoh, Kluang at 15.75m and Sungai Siam in Kampung Sungai Siam, Kulai at 21.07m.

He added that only one road was still fully closed to all types of vehicles due to floods, namely Jalan Mawai Lama (Rumah Burung) in Kota Tinggi.

In Perak, the District Disaster Management Committee Secretariat said the number of flood victims this morning remained the same as last night, with 30 people from eight families still sheltering at the centre in Sekolah Agama Rakyat Padang Serai in Beruas, Manjung.

“All the victims, who have been sheltering at the centre since Thursday (Jan 9), are residents from Kampung Padang Serai, Kampung Kasi and Kampung Pengkalan Damar,” it said in a statement.

The Perak Drainage and Irrigation Department said the water level at Sungai Rui in the Hulu Perak district is at the alert level of 165.43m (normal level: 165.10m).

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) forecasts all 12 districts in Perak to be hit by thunderstorms and rain later this afternoon and night.

The Perak Public Works Department (JKR), meanwhile, said that route A175 of Jalan Selat-Pulau Pebayan in Perak Tengah is still closed to all vehicles after flood waters rose to 0.8m.

In Terengganu, the JPBN Secretariat said the number of flood victims remained at 16 people this morning, with all of them placed at the Balai Raya Kampung Geliga Pantai centre in Kemaman, which was opened at 10 pm yesterday.

Meanwhile, based on the website https://publicinfobanjir.water.gov.my/, only Sungai Besut at Jambatan Keruak, Besut has exceeded the danger level at 35.64m. — Bernama