The Watchers – by AdonaiHeavy rains that began on Thursday, December 18, 2014, triggered massive flooding across North Sumatra, Indonesia and north-eastern Malaysia.
At least four people drowned in floods that have hit north-eastern Malaysia and more than 25 000 people have fled to evacuation centres, welfare and rescue officials said today.
All four fatalities were from the state of Kelantan where more than 15 640 people have left their homes and several roads were impassable due to floods, the Kelantan state fire and rescue department said. For Kelantan, this is the worst flooding in over a decade.
Weather officials warned that intermittent and occasionally heavy rains will persist in Kelantan and Terengganu into the next week.
#Flood: Almost 8,000 evacuated in #Kelantan http://t.co/itEqkmAuJt pic.twitter.com/6FaJQ5UDXL
— New Straits Times (@NST_Online) December 18, 2014
In North Sumatra, Indonesia thousands of homes were engulfed on Friday by floods up to a meter high. In Medan, floods inundated residential areas in Tanah Enam Ratus subdistrict, Medan Marelan district, Mabar Hilir subdistrict in Medan Deli district and Martubung subdistrict in Medan Labuhan district. Martubung subdistrict was the worst hit area, with around 500 homes inundated up to a meter high.
In Deli Serdang regency, North Sumatra, floods engulfed Sampali and Saentis villages in Percut Sei Tuan district and Pematang Johar village in Labuhan Deli district.
In Langkat regency, North Sumatra, water from the overflowing Wampu River engulfed several villages in Stabat and Tanjung Pura districts.
Eleven villages in Cilacap regency, Central Java, were also engulfed by floodwater from 30 centimeters to 1 meter deep as a result of torrential rain from Thursday evening until early Friday.
A community leader in Cilacap’s Kedungreja village, Mardiyo Abdul Azis, said floods had swamped the villages of Tinggarjaya, Sidareja, Gunungreja. Sidamulya, Sudagaran, Margasari and Tegalsari in Sidareja district.
Panebasan hamlet in Ciklapa village, Bumireja district, especially areas located along the banks of the Cibereum River and Bangunreja in Kedungreja district, as well as a part of Wringinharjo village in Gandrungmangu district, were also engulfed by floods. “They are flood-prone areas. Hundreds of homes have been inundated there. The worst hit was Panebasan hamlet, Ciklapa village, Kedungreja district,” Mardiyo said as quoted by Antara news agency.
Sources: The Sun Daily, The Jakarta Post
Featured image credit: New Straits Times
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