Floods in Malaysia have affected seven states, causing thousands of people to flee their homes

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

Floods slammed seven Malaysian states on Sunday, causing thousands of people to flee their homes, bringing the total number of people impacted by severe rain in the last two weeks to more than 125,000, according to the National Disaster Management Agency.

Floods are continuing affecting Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, and Sabah, according to the agency, with 8,727 people taking refuge in 128 rescue facilities.

The floods have affected a total of 125,490 individuals across the country, with 117,700 evacuees returning home, according to the report.

Floods are normal on Malaysia's eastern coast during the yearly monsoon season, which runs from October to March, but particularly strong rains that began on December 17 evacuated thousands and put emergency services under strain.

 

According to a police tweet citing Inspector-General Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, fifty persons have died in the floods and two are still missing.

Following the first round of flooding two weeks ago, opposition MPs chastised the government for its slow reaction.
"The authorities never came to our aid," said one resident who was stuck in her home for two days and had to be rescued by friends.

The National Disaster Control Centre has issued a disaster operation preparedness notice in response to the meteorological department's forecast of continued heavy rains.

 

The Department of Irrigation and Drainage also issued a high tide warning for the period of January 2 to 5, as well as a warning to people on Peninsula Malaysia's west coast, according to the statement.

Malaysia has announced that it will distribute 1.4 billion ringgit ($336.22 million) in cash and other types of assistance to families affected by severe flooding earlier this month.

It also wants $3 million from the United Nations Green Climate Fund to build a national climate change adaptation plan.
According to Secretary-General Zaini Ujang, the strategy will focus on areas such as water, agriculture, and food security, public health, forestry, and infrastructure.

 

The monies asked are insignificant in comparison to the amount of money the country has vowed to spend on flood prevention, but experts estimate that the plan's implementation will cost far more.