Malaysians return to devastated homes as floodwaters recede; more rain expected

03 December 2024 - 13:14 By Mandy Leong and Hasnoor Hussain
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A man cleans a plastic board as floodwaters begin to recede in Tumpat, Malaysia, on December 2.
A man cleans a plastic board as floodwaters begin to recede in Tumpat, Malaysia, on December 2.
Image: REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain

Residents in the Malaysian town of Tumpat are returning to submerged homes and shops as deadly floodwaters ease in some areas after the worst floods in decades over the weekend — but more heavy rain is forecast soon.

Peninsular Malaysia, particularly its northeastern coast, and southern Thailand have been battered by torrential rains which fuelled floods that killed dozens of people and damaged homes, transport links and thousands of acres of rice crops.

In Tumpat, a coastal town in Kelantan state near the Thai border, people were able to return to their homes on Monday only to find many had collapsed, with sections of walls, roofs and broken furniture lying scattered in pools of water.

Muhamad Alim, a 56-year-old shopkeeper whose food store was inundated, recalled fast-rising waters in his home and his grandchildren crying as the flood surged on Saturday night.

“Electricity was cut off, and there was no water supply. So we were stuck, sitting there as if we were in the middle of the sea, surrounded by water,” he said. “You could hear the sound of water rushing, cutting through the silence of the night.”

Alim said he was fortunate that his family was well stocked up on food and was able to remain at home until the waters receded.

Six people have died in Malaysia and more than 150,000 were evacuated during the height of the floods last week, government data showed.

In Thailand, the death toll is 25, and more than 300,000 households were still affected, the interior ministry said. The number of people in temporary shelters in Malaysia fell to just under 95,000 on Tuesday morning, though the authorities remain on guard for a second wave of floods this week.

Malaysia's meteorological department expects a wind convergence to begin on Tuesday, potentially bringing heavy showers, with a monsoon surge to follow on December 8.

In Thailand, the meteorological department warned people in the south of the country to beware of heavy to very heavy rains and possible flash flooding and overflows this week.

Reuters


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