More than 200,000 people were forced to leave their homes following severe flooding in Malaysia. The Malaysian government is pushing for increased relief efforts for those who were evacuated. The flood left at least 10 casualties.
Terengganu, Kelantan, Pahang, Kedah, Johor, Perak, Perlis, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan are among the areas that were affected. Parts of Sri Lanka and Thailand were also affected by the devastating floods. Fourteen people were reported dead in Sri Lanka. The recent flood is considered as the worst in Malaysia in over three decades.
The heavy flooding started over a week ago in Malaysia, which was brought about by a harsh northeast monsoon, according to reports.
Power supply was also interrupted due to the flooding. Water supply is scarce, since delivery of basic needs seem to be an impossible feat at the time. Transportation and communication are terribly impaired at the moment due to the flood caused by heavy rains.
The situation can still worsen if there will be continuous rain fall. At present, the country is expecting another four inches of rain in the next two days.
"I'm deeply concerned by the floods and am returning to see the situation for myself. My thoughts and prayers are with all who are suffering," Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak shared on social media last Friday. Najib was on a trip to meet with US President Barack Obama in Hawaii when the tragedy struck.
"The situation is most critical where the water level is still rising in some areas, and there are also areas which were never flooded previously, but are now facing serious floods. I strongly hope for cooperation from everyone to ensure that in the first phase, we can concentrate on rescue efforts and providing aid such as food, blankets, mats, candles and so on," PM Najib told the press at Kelantan.
Recent reports indicated that Malaysia has not declared a state of emergency, and will only do so if a total blackout on water supply and electricity will be experienced.
