NERUS: Five bodies, including three still wrapped in their shrouds, had to be reburied after being swept away by strong waves at the Kampung Pengkalan Maras Cemetery.

Kampung Pengkalan Maras village development and security committee chairman Mohd Isshamudin Ismail said the cemetery, located near the coast, has long been threatened by erosion, particularly during the monsoon season.

The high tide and strong waves on Friday night led to the displacement of five graves.

“The incident was noticed by villagers who visited the site around 9am today. In addition to the bodies, there were pieces of shrouds, bones, headstones and tomb covers in the sea,” he said during a visit to the cemetery yesterday, Bernama reported.

“Fortunately, villagers managed to recover the bodies, tomb covers, and some shroud fragments. The rest may have been carried out to sea.”

The affected families have been contacted and have made arrangements for the reburial of the bodies at the Gong Walit Cemetery in Mengabang Telipot, said Mohd Isshamudin.

He added that around 200 graves at the cemetery will need to be relocated due to worsening erosion.

“Authorities built a wall to prevent the waves from reaching the cemetery, but the wall is about five years old.

“In the past two or three days, the waves were so strong that the wall couldn’t withstand them.

“Most of the graves here are over 70 years old, but during the rainy season, villagers still bury their dead here because the new burial site is flooded,” he said.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department has issued a continuous rain alert for the three east coast states until Friday.

In a statement yesterday, the department said the warning covers the entire state of Terengganu, Kelantan (Tumpat, Pasir Mas, Kota Baru, Jeli, Tanah Merah, Bachok, Machang, Pasir Puteh and Kuala Krai) and Pahang (Jerantut, Kuantan, Pekan and Rompin).

A similar warning has also been issued for Tuesday to Friday, covering Perlis, Kedah (Kubang Pasu, Pokok Sena, Padang Terap, Pendang, Sik and Baling), Pahang (Cameron Highlands, Lipis, Raub, Bentong, Temerloh, Maran and Bera), Perak (Hulu Perak) and Kelantan (Gua Musang), Bernama reported.

Continuous rain is also expected in Sabah, specifically in Sandakan (Telupid, Beluran and Sandakan) and Kudat until tomorrow.

A woman suffering from gout had to stand in floodwaters in her house for six hours before being rescued by the Kelantan Civil Defence Force (APM).

Mazlina Mohamed, 45, said her home was flooded with water up to nearly a metre from morning and she was rescued at 3pm.

“I had to stand in the water and endure the pain as my family had just moved into this rented house two months ago and we still do not have any furniture,” said Mazlina who was taken to the temporary relief centre (PPS) at SMK Beris Panchor here.

“This is our first experience relocating to a PPS due to flooding. We rented the house despite knowing the area is flood-prone because it was our only option, and the rent is affordable at RM300 a month,” she told Bernama when met at the PPS yesterday.

She, her husband Mohd Riduan Harun, 45, and daughter Nur Aliya Maisarah Mohd Riduan, 19, moved to the PPS after being instructed to do so by the authorities.

Mazlina said she has been suffering from gout over the past two years and her condition worsened over the past week.

She said she was promptly treated by the district health centre staff at the PPS.

Another flood victim, Yasmin Syafiqah Anuar, 29, recalled being unable to sleep the night before as water began overflowing from the irrigation canals and padi fields near her home.

“I moved to the Kampung Budi housing area four months ago and didn’t know it was floodprone. I started packing and moving items to higher ground.

“By 8am, with water levels rising to nearly one metre, we were instructed by the authorities to evacuate and were transported to the PPS by Armed Forces personnel,” she said.

Yasmin said she chose to rent her current home because of its proximity to her husband’s workplace in Kota Baru.

Her husband, Mohd Junaidi Mohd Ikbal, 33, works with the local council, and she was accompanied by their three children, aged between one to eight.

Bachok district disaster management committee chairman Syamsul Abu Bakar said 40 flood victims from 11 families were relocated to the SMK Beris Panchor PPS on Friday.

“The PPS residents are provided with adequate facilities, including collapsible tents for each family. If the family is large, we provide additional resources to ensure their comfort.

“Once the victims arrive at the PPS, they are given retort-packaged ready-to-eat meals. We also work together to cook rice in a designated area to serve meals three times a day for the flood victims,” he said.

Syamsul said with support from the Social Welfare Department, led by its Bachok officer Zulfikri Abd Wahab, flood evacuees were provided with other essentials such as biscuits, packet drinks, mattress covers, blankets, towels, sarongs and hygiene kits.

He said the flood evacuees are cared for by personnel from several agencies.

HULU TERENGGANU: Banjir yang melanda daerah Hulu Terengganu berada dalam keadaan terkawal.

Episod hujan lebat yang melanda daerah itu sejak tiga hari lalu menyebabkan beberapa kampung yang terletak di kawasan rendah dinaiki air.

Tinjauan Buletin TV3 mendapati beberapa rumah penduduk di Kampung Matang, digenangi air sejak semalam.

Setakat jam 8.00 pagi tadi, hanya 68 mangsa membabitkan 18 keluarga di daerah itu dipindahkan ke 5 Pusat Pemindahan Sementara (PPS).

Menurut Ketua Balai Bomba Dan Penyelamat Kuala Berang, Zulhisham Mohamad Yusop, pihaknya telah membuat pemantauan rapi di kawasan terjejas.

“Banjir di Hulu Terengganu terkawal tidak begitu serius setakat ini, bagaimanapun luruan MTL sehingga 1 Disember ini yang diramalkan berlaku banjir, penduduk dinasihatkan sentiasa berwaspada dan berpindah jika diarah berbuat demikian”, katanya.

Zulhisyam berkata demikian ketika ditemui di Tasik Kenyir.

Sementara itu, paras air di Pengkalan Gawi, Tasik Kenyir, masih diparas normal.

“Orang ramai juga dinasihatkan supaya tidak menyebarkan berita palsu seperti menularkan video atau gambar lama di media sosial yang boleh mendatangakan panik kepada penduduk sekitar khususnya,” ujarnya lagi.

Dalam perkembangan lain, keseluruhan mangsa banjir di Terengganu yang berpindah ke PPS hari ini adalah seramai 398 orang membabitkan 7 daerah.

Daerah Marang paling ramai dipindahkan iaitu 195 mangsa, Hulu Terengganu 68 mangsa, Dungun 59, Besut 43, Kemaman 32 dan Setiu 1 mangsa.