SEGAMAT, Dec 29 (Bernama) -- A mild earthquake yesterday morning, followed by afternoon flooding from heavy rain and rising river levels, left residents here and nearby areas feeling anxious.
Kampung Seberang Batu Badak resident, Raja Sahrin Tengku Ismail, 60, said he was still in shock from the 8.55 am tremors followed by his house being inundated at about 1 pm when the nearby river overflowed.
He added that while flooding is an annual occurrence, especially at the start and end of the year, this incident felt more concerning as it coincided with the tremor.
“It’s quite alarming that earthquakes have become more frequent in Segamat. Although yesterday's epicentre was in Bukit Kepong, the tremors were still felt here in the village,” he said when met at the temporary relief centre at Kampung Batu Badak Community Hall, here today.
Raja Sahrin further expressed concerns, noting that floods in the area usually take a long time to recede, and there are now fears of possible aftershocks.
He said the latest flood was one of the worst he had experienced and suspected that it was caused by the collapse of an embankment built last year.
Another resident, Aishah Abd Hamid, 65, said her house was flooded within two hours of the morning tremors.
“I went to Segamat town around 11 am to buy essentials, but by 1 pm, a neighbour called to inform me that the river had overflowed and water had entered my house. By the time I returned, the water level had already risen above knee height,” she said.
In a related development, the Bandar Baru Segamat Fire and Rescue Station conducted flood monitoring in several high-risk areas around here today due to the overcast weather and rising river levels.
As of 2 pm, seven temporary relief centres in Segamat district were sheltering 167 people from 55 families.
Yesterday, the Malaysian Meteorological Department reported that a weak earthquake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale was detected in Bukit Kepong, Pagoh, at a depth of 10 kilometres.
-- BERNAMA
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