FLOODS triggered by relentless heavy rain have displaced 13,915 people from 4,844 families in seven states. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said all security and emergency agencies were in full preparedness mode.

Citing the 4pm report from the National Disaster Management Agency’s Disaster Control Centre, he said Kelantan remained the worst hit, with 9,503 victims from 3,487 families.

Perak had 1,538 victims, Perlis had 1,426, Kedah had 542, Penang had 414, Selangor had 283 and Terengganu had 209.

Zahid, who is Central Disaster Management Committee chairman, said the government had activated temporary flood relief centres and mobilised every response agency at the federal, state and district levels to accelerate relief efforts.

The National Disaster Command Centre said 82 relief centres had been opened in 19 districts in seven states, with trends showing an increase in evacuees.

In Kelantan, there were 38 centres in Tumpat, Kota Baru, Bachok and Pasir Puteh. In Perak, there were 20 centres, mainly in Manjung, Perak Tengah, Hilir Perak, Larut, Matang and Selama.

In Perlis, seven centres were opened. The water levels of nearly all major rivers in flood-prone areas were rising.

Monitoring by the Drainage and Irrigation Department found that river levels were rising in Kelantan, Johor, Perlis and Terengganu, but no stations had crossed the danger level at press time.

Rivers like Sungai Golok in Pasir Mas, Sungai Kemasin in Bachok, Sungai Perlis and Sungai Setiu in Terengganu were rising.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department had issued continuous rain alerts for large parts of the northern region, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Selangor, with extremely heavy rain expected to continue until tomorrow in several districts.

Strong winds and rough seas of up to 3.5m were forecast for waters off Perlis, Kedah, Penang,

Perak, Selangor, Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak, posing danger to small vessels.

In Selangor, water levels rose in Shah Alam and Klang, flooding roads and prompting evacuations as heavy rain continued since Sunday evening.

Affected areas include Kampung Kubu Gajah, Kampung Budiman, Taman Desa Kemuning, Taman Seri Muda, Kampung Delek, Kapar and Meru.

In a Facebook post, the Shah Alam City Council said: “Jalan Kampung Kubu Gajah 5 is impassable due to rising waters, while Persiaran Budiman towards Section 25 has also flooded.”

It said its enforcement personnel had helped relocate senior citizens from Lorong Desa Kemuning 2B, Taman Desa Kemuning, Section 35, to a safer location.

In Sungai Buloh, Taman Aman Saujana residents had to evacuate as the river burst its banks. Resident Haziq Daniel said he moved into the area in 2020, then massive floods struck in December 2021.

“Since then, this has become an annual occurrence. At least once a year, the river overflows and we are forced to evacuate,” said the father of three.

Flash floods on the New Klang Valley Expressway caused traffic to come to a standstill between the Shah Alam and Subang Jaya interchanges.

Page 1 pic: A bird’s eye view of flooded Kampung Sungai Serat in Hulu Langat, Selangor, yesterday.