KUALA TERENGGANU, Dec 3 — Heavy rain for about six hours since 6 pm yesterday caused flash floods in several locations in Terengganu last night.
From videos shared by netizens on Facebook, a few tourist locations, such as Dataran Syahbandar, Pasar Payang, and Kampung Cina were also affected, with the roads in the area closed to light vehicles.
Residents in the affected areas were also seen busy helping one another to move their vehicles to higher ground, but many of the traders did not have enough time to move their wares due to the fast-rising water.
According to the Secretariat for the Terengganu Disaster Management Committee, as of 7 am today, 439 victims from 124 families had been evacuated to nine relief centers, which was less than 24 hours after the closure of the last relief center for the second wave of flood in the state.
The flood today affected the districts of Kuala Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Marang, and Kemaman, with the evacuation process in a few other districts.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) part-time reporter, Kamaliza Kamaruddin, 39, said the water in her two-story house rose to knee-high, but the family did not evacuate as they moved upstairs.
“We had time to move only some of the electrical appliances upstairs. This is the third flash floods since we moved to this residential area at Jalan Pusara here,” she said, adding that the two previous occasions were in 2016 and 2018.
However, this time, the floodwater took longer to recede, she said.
Bernama photographer Mohd Khairul Fikiri Osman, 34, was also affected by the floods when water began entering his house at 9.30 pm and three hours later, he decided to move out and checked into a hotel with his wife and two children.
“I was able to move the refrigerator to a higher level but had to leave others when water started to fill the house. What matters most is my family’s safety,” he said.
As of 7.30 am today, the flood water is beginning to recede, though, in some areas in the state, it is reported to be drizzling.
Sources: BERNAMA