FLOODS LIVE BLOG Malaysiakini brings the latest updates on the flood situation as they happen.
Latest developments
- K'tan flood victims almost doubles in 24 hours
Over 150,000 people evacuated
11.26pm: The following are the latest figures of those evacuated in seven states:
Terengganu - 34,709
Pahang - 31,774
Perak - 7,010
Johor - 425
Selangor - 115
Perlis - 77
Negeri Sembilan - 0 (all returned home)
Kedah - 0Critical shortage of food in some areas
7.45pm: The Kelantan Flood Disaster Relief Committee says it will focus its efforts on Rantau Panjang, Pasir Mas, Tumpat and Tanah Merah districts, land access to which has been cut off by flood waters.
Its chief Mustafa Mohamed said these districts are worst-hit by the flood, and is facing a critical shortage of food and medical supplies.
“These four areas are reported to be facing a critical shortage of food, drinks and access to health facilities.
“The committee will strive to expedite the despatch of food and medical supplies in whatever way possible,” Bernama quoted him as saying.
He added that although districts like Kuala Krai and Kota Bharu had also been hard-hit by the flood, the situation is still under control because essential supplies can still reach its victims.
The Kelantan Flood Disaster Relief Committee was formed yesterday to coordinate flood relief efforts in the state.
It is led by Mustafa, who is both the international trade and industry minister and the Kelantan Umno chief, while state secretary Fauzi Mamat and Kelantan Federal Development Department director Makhtar Mustapha had been appointed as the committee's deputy chairpersons.
PM surveys badly hit areas
5.35PM: Najib visits several areas severely affected by the floods, according to Bernama .
The prime minister boarded a RMAF helicopter to observe the affected areas which included Pasir Mas, Tumpat, Rantau Panjang and Tanah Merah.
He also met the flood victims at the temporary relief centre (PPS) at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Kubang Batang, Tumpat, and the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Belimbing PPS in Tanah Merah.
The PM is also seen listening to the woes of the people concerning their aspirations during the meeting.
Brushing aside protocol, Najib is seen eating the food served to the flood victims as well as drinking what the victims drink.
Najib was scheduled to visit the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Pengkalan Chepa PPS, and the Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Seri Chempaka PPS, later.
Earlier, Najib arrived at the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport, Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Bharu at 1.40pm.
Najib later proceeded to listen to a special briefing from the chairman of the Kelantan Flood Disaster Committee, Mustapa Mohamed as well as from the National Security Council (MKN) at the airport for about half an hour.
The prime minister was briefed on the operations to assist the flood victims including on the delivery of food supplies, the weather situation for the immediate future, as well as the trend of water flow in the main rivers in the state.
Also present during the briefing session were the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Shahidan Kassim and Kelantan Menteri Besar Ahmad Yaakob.
Penang slams Friends of BN's 'black lie'
5.30PM: The Penang government says claims by a posting on Friends of BN that Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's absence has caused a delay in disbursement of aid promised to flood hit states are untrue.
Penang exco in charge of welfare, caring society and environment Phee Boon Poh says the funds are already being disbursed.
" The Penang government is disappointed with the false claim posted on Friends of BN today , misleading the public ... This is a black lie! " says Phee in a statement.
He adds the funds have already been transferred to the state government's consolidated trust account.
Earlier, the pro-BN page, perhaps in retaliation of criticisms against Prime Minister Najib Razak for staying on holiday during the flood disaster, attacked Lim for being on holiday.
"Do you know the Penang government's RM1.5 million allocation cannot be channelled to flood victims as Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is on holiday until next year?" read the posting.
Earlier this week, a pro-Umno website hits at PKR president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for going on holiday cycling , and not being with her constituency Kajang as flash floods hit the Selangor town.
Death toll in floods climbs to at least eight
4.45pm: The body of a man who went missing with his wife when their boat capsized during evacuation on Wednesday has been found in Kemaman.
Kemaman police chief Che Suza Che Hitam said the body of 37-year-old Suhaimi Awang was found at 12.20am today by a search and rescue team, according to Bernama .
His body was found some 10 metres from where his wife Nur Hayati Sulong, 37, was found yesterday.
This brings the total deaths due to the floods to at least eight.
According to the National Security Council's website , as of noon today, seven people have perished from the disaster: five in Kelantan, and two in Terengganu.
Opposition reps' help not wanted
4.28pm: Mengkibol state assemblyperson Tan Hong Pin claimed he was shooed away by local authorities while distributing aid at a relief centre in Kluang, Johor.
Tan said he was giving out supplies at a relief centre at Kampung Bentong, together with Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong, but they were asked to leave.
"We were forced to take back the supplies which was distributed at the relief centre," said the DAP lawmaker.
Hong said he was disappointed by what he said was unprofessional conduct by local authorities.
"In this serious flood situation, I urge the federal, state and local government to set aside political differences and work together to help the flood victims," he said in a statement today.
K'tan flood victims almost doubles in 24 hours
3.39pm:
The flood situation in Kelantan continues to deteriorate as the number of flood victims there nearly doubled in less than 24 hours.
According to Bernama , the number of people at relief centres this afternoon stands at 81,925, an 80.2 percent increase from the 45,467 number of displaced people last night.
According to the breakdown, Tumpat is the worst hit area with 26,000 evacuees.
This is followed by Kota Bharu with 24,034 evacuees, Pasir Mas at 12,332, Kuala Krai at 5,200, Gua Musang at 5,150, Machang at 4,039, Tanah Merah at 3,548, Jeli at 1,430, and Pasir Puteh at 192.
They are being housed in 254 relief centres throughout the state.
In Terengganu, the situation remains unchanged from this morning, with the number of displaced people marginally increasing to 35,246 from 35,028.
The worst hit area there is Kemaman with 25,055 people displaced, followed by Dungun (8,725), Kuala Terengganu (1,247) and Hulu Terengganu (219).
They are housed in a total of 99 temporary shelters.
As for Kedah, all 13 remaining evacuees have been allowed to return home and its only relief centre was closed down.
Najib arrives in Kota Bharu, hits ground running
2.40PM:
Astro Awani reports that Prime Minister Najib Razak has arrived at 1.40pm in Sultan Ismail Petra Airport and has been briefed by the National Security Council on the flood situation.It is possible that the PM has taken a separate flight back to Malaysia after receiving heavy criticism for his absence as the East Coast flood in Peninsular Malaysia worsens.
The reported timing of Najib’s arrival in Kota Bharu coincided with the landing of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) VIP transport jet bearing the tail number M53-01, which flew for about three hours from Hong Kong to Kota Bharu.
The aircraft 9M-NAA that recently brought Najib to play golf in Honolulu with US President Barack Obama, has its last publicly known location as Indianapolis, USA.
2.25pm: Penang DAP announces that it is collecting donations at its headquarters along Jalan Rangoon, George Town, between 12pm and 5pm tomorrow.
The items required are: biscuits, instant noodles, diapers for adults and babies, sanitary pads, blankets, milk power, medication (paracetamol or Panadol), bandages and plasters, sugar, and rice.
In addition, Chow says that he and DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang will be flying into Kota Bharu on the first available flight tomorrow to hand over basic amenities worth RM10,000 to flood victims.
Terengganu MB cuts short umrah
2.05pm: Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman has cut short his umrah (minor pilgrimage) trip to oversee the relief efforts in the state, according to a Bernama report today.
Ahmad Razif and his wife, Toh Puan Halina Zakaria, have been spotted visiting the flood relief centre at Sekolah Kebangsaan Guntong, Tepoh, in Kuala Terengganu and distributing aid to the 91 flood-victim families there.
'Focus on humanitarian efforts, not politics'
1.59pm: Gelang Patah MP's political secretary Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud says the flood situation is a time to concentrate on humanitarian efforts, and not on politics.
"People's lives are in danger, so it is not the time to play politics and point fingers," she notes in a DAP statement today.
"This is the time for us to unite as Malaysians, and we should get to work regardless of political, racial and religious differences.
"We should help those who need it most through whatever channels there are," she adds.
DAP says it is stepping up efforts in Pahang where the flood situation is worsening, estimating those affected to rise to 40,000 from its present figure.
Pahang DAP chairperson and Mentakab assemblyperson Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji notes that the assistance received is a welcome relief, as the situation in his constituency is "worsening" and food and necessities are in dire shortage.
"Boats are also needed to bring supplies to the residents who have been cut off from communications because of rising waters," he adds.
Critical patients to be evacuated
1.55pm: Critical patients at hospitals in Kelantan will be evacuated as flooding in the state worsens, says Health Minister S Subramaniam.
Bernama reports Subramaniam as saying that the patients will be transported to Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) in Kubang Kerian.
Meanwhile, Education Minister II Idris Jusoh has announced a RM3.5 million additional allocation for HUSM.
Idris adds that the funds, which was disbursed yesterday, will be used to provide medicine and food supplies for flood victims seeking treatment at the hospital.
TNB sends generators to flood zones
1.34pm: Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has deployed some 70 generators to flood-hit states with capacity of 500 kW to 1,000 kW, according to Bernama .
This comes after the power company was forced to cut power to flood hit areas throughout Kelantan, Pahang and Terengganu on Thursday.
TNB has ceased operations at 1,606 sub-stations to avoid short-circuits which could lead to permanent damage.
Hudud sitting is off
1.20pm: Kelantan Menteri Besar Ahmad Yakob announces that the special state assembly sitting on the hudud bill scheduled for Monday will be postponed.
This comes as the flood situation - which has displaced over 50,000 people in the state and over 130,000 people nationwide - worsened.
DAP launches flood relief fund
12.30pm: DAP launches its own flood relief fund to collect donations in aid of those affected by the floods.
DAP organising secretary Anthony Loke said the money will be channelled to the worst-hit areas according to their needs, over the next few weeks.
“To kick-start the campaign, the DAP central leadership has decided to allocate RM10,000 for this fund.
“All DAP elected representatives nationwide have been directed to launch donation drives starting this weekend in their respective constituencies,” he said in a statement yesterday.
The donations will be deposited in the ‘Tabung Dana Kecemasan’ account (Ambank 8881 0022 44649), through which members of the public can also channel donations directly, he said.
In the meantime, Loke said he is personally leading an aid mission to Kelantan on Monday with a truckload of bread and mineral water, while efforts to obtain more supplies are underway.
Meanwhile DAP's Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang says that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak must immediately take command of the "country-wide disaster" when the latter arrives today, urging the public to give the PM their "full public support".
"Such a bureaucratic mess could only be straightened up immediately with the prime minister taking charge of the flood disaster relief operations, cutting through all red tape and bureaucratic bottlenecks," said Lim in a statement this morning.
PM expected to arrive in KB at noon
11.45am: Sources tell Malaysiakini that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is expected to arrive in Kota Bharu around noon today.
Najib had cut short his holiday in the US where he was seen golfing with US president Barack Obama in Hawaii.
The premier faced mounting criticism over his absence as the country faced the worst flooding in decades which so far has displaced over 132,000 people.
His absence in a time of national crisis was highlighted by several media in the US, including Washington Post and the New York Times .
According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the prime minister's Airbus A319 aircraft with the call sign 9M-NAA departed Hawaii for Los Angeles, before arriving in Indianapolis at 6.52pm Malaysian time yesterday.
However, the aircraft remains in Indianapolis and it is unclear if Najib is using another aircraft to return to the country or that the signal from the jet has been turned off.
It is understood the premier will be flying directly into Kota Bharu.
Kelantan MB stranded at home
"I apologise to the rakyat, particularly the people in my state constituency as I am facing difficulty going out to distribute aid, as I am also trapped in water that has started to enter my house," he said in a statement on Facebook .
Negri Sembilan also hit by floods
11.15am: The flood has spread to Negri Sembilan, making it the eighth state in the peninsula to be affected by the disaster.
More than 300 people in Negri Sembilan have been evacuated as of this morning, according to Bernama .
The revised figure shows a 10 percent increase in the total number of people displaced by the floods nationwide, at 132,684 victims.
The latest numbers from Kelantan saw the situation there deteriorating, with the number of displaced people increasing from 45,467 to 55,960 people.
An updated figure from Terengganu also showed the number of victims have increased slightly to 35,208 people.
Perlis and Kedah are the only two states in the peninsula showing improved situations, while all others which are affected have deteriorated further.
The following are states with updated figures of flood victims:
Kelantan - 55,960; Terengganu - 35,028; and Johor - 1,104.
Over 120,000 people displaced
10.30am: The country's most serious flood in decades shows no sign of abating as the number of displaced people continues to increase to 120,354 this morning, up from 119,301 last night, according to Bernama .
