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Malaysia’s South Landa Flood, 40 thousand people fled. PHOTO/Reuters
KUALA LUMPUR – Flood days of heavy rains have forced nearly 40,000 people from their homes in the southern state of Johor Malaysia shares a border with Singapore, and at least four people have died over the past week.
“In the past, we always prepared for the rainy season in November and December,” Mohd Noor Saad, a 57-year-old resident of Yong Peng township, in Johor’s Batu Pahat district, told Reuters on Saturday (4/3/2023).
“Every household has a boat, but now with the unpredictable weather, it looks like we were unprepared and got into a mess,” he continued.
According to the National Disaster Management Agency, authorities have set up more than 200 relief shelters for people displaced by the floods.
Flooding in Malaysia is common during the annual rainy season between October and March, but this week’s torrential downpours left many Johor residents scrambling for shelter.
Carrying belongings out of her home in thigh-deep water, cafe worker Kabibah Siam, 54, said she was resigned to fending for herself during the floods.
“What can we do? We can’t complain about our fate because everyone is in the same boat here,” he said.
While Johor was the worst hit, there have also been flooding in other states that have displaced hundreds of people.
The meteorological department warned of more rain in the coming days, mostly in the southern states.
(esn)
