Flash floods hit Muar, 82 evacuated to five relief centres

JOHOR BAHRU, June 20   --  A total of 82 people from 18 families in Muar were evacuated to five temporary relief centres (PPS) following flash floods here today. 

Muar district officer Datuk Mohd Haffiz Ahmad said as of 4pm, five PPS had been opened namely Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Bandar Maharani, Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Tanjung Tohor, SK Orang Kaya Ali, SK Batu 18 and SK Parit Nawi.

 He said the affected areas are Bentayan, Simpang Jeram, Seri Menanti, Sungai Balang and Bukit Naning.

He said heavy rain from 5 am caused water to rise up to 1.5 metres at 8.39 am, causing several low-lying areas to be flooded.

"The registration and evacuation process was carried out in accordance with the standard operating procedure to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak at the evacuation centres.

"However, monitoring in some of the locations at risk is still ongoing. The water level at the main river near here is still at normal level,” he said in a statement here today.

He said even though floodwaters have begun to recede at some areas, the authorities are taking precautionary steps following unpredictable weather, adding that waters are expected to rise to 2.2 metres at night due to high tide. 

"The relevant agencies will continue its monitoring from time to time,” he said. 

 At the same time, he said Jalan Muar-Yong Peng (Bakri Batu 9 and 10) which was impassable due to floodwaters earlier has reopened for traffic as of 2 pm and can be used by all types of vehicles.

 Meanwhile, Johor Fire and Rescue Department in a separate statement said flash floods also occurred in several other districts such as Johor Bahru, Pontian, Batu Pahat, and Kluang.

In Johor Bahru, the affected areas are Kampung Baru Muafakat while Kampung Sepakat Jaya and Kampung Parit Pasir in Pontan were also affected.

"In Batu Pahat, the areas affected were Parit Sulong and Kampung Simpang Lima, and Cokroh in Kluang,” he said. 

-- BERNAMA