Kuala Lumpur (EFE).– Malaysia has evacuated more than 11,000 people due to flooding caused by heavy rains that have been battering the country, authorities said Monday, amid a particularly severe tropical storm and typhoon season for Southeast Asia this year.
«As many as 11,009 victims out of 3,839 families have been placed at Temporary Settlement Centre (PPS) involving 14 districts in 7 states,» Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri said on Facebook after a briefing by the National Disaster Command Centre (NDCC) and the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA).
The worst affected region is the northern part of the western half of the country—bordering Thailand—with the state of Kelantan being the hardest hit, with 8,259 people affected, according to a statement released by the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) at 12 pm on Monday.
More than 100,000 members of the armed forces, the police, and the fire department, among other agencies, have been deployed to carry out relief and rescue operations in the flooded areas, Azri added.
Thousands of students in Malaysia are currently preparing for the competitive national examination (SPM), a university entrance exam taken by secondary school students, which will take place from Nov. 3 to Dec. 23, according to the education ministry.
Images published by the national news agency, Bernama, show young people studying for the exam in temporary shelters.
Azri said that the «disaster situation will be closely monitored on a daily basis to ensure the safety of the citizens,» and added that he had instructed «all the team members to ensure that students sitting for SPM in the affected areas can sit for the exam in a good condition.»
More images of the storm’s effects show streets with water up to waist height in Kelantan.
The flood-affected areas experienced heavy rainfall on Sunday, prompting the Malaysian meteorological agency to issue danger warnings.
The Zoom.earth platform shows a system with the potential, albeit low, to develop into a tropical depression, storm, or cyclone over the waters off the coast of the tourist city of George Town in Penang state.
Southeast Asia is experiencing a particularly severe tropical storm and typhoon season this year.
Vietnamese authorities reported 90 deaths on Saturday from floods and landslides triggered by torrential rains.
In November, Typhoon Kalmaegi caused six deaths in central Vietnam after hitting the Philippines, where it left 250 dead and more than 111 missing. EFE
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