GEORGE TOWN, Nov 5 – Weather has played havoc on Penang with heavy rain and gale force winds overnight leaving three people dead and forcing more than 2,000 people to be moved to shelters due to flash floods as of noon today. Two people drowned while a Bangladeshi man was killed when an uprooted tree crashed onto his rented plank house.
A police spokesman said 50 flood relief centres had been opened and that more victims were expected to be evacuated. “There are 800 flood victims in shelters in Seberang Perai Utara (SPU), Seberang Perai Tengah (500), Seberang Perai Selatan (18), Timur Laut (248) and Barat Daya (289).
“The police, Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defence Force, Welfare Department, the Malaysian Armed Forces and various other agencies have been mobilised to handle the situation,” he told reporters here.SPU police chief ACP Noorzainy Mohd Noor said 35 areas in the district were hit by flash floods but the situation was under control.
The police spokesman also said that several roads had to be closed because they were submerged by up to 1 metre of water, among them Jalan Kulim in Bukit Mertajam. He said in Barat Daya, the roads closed were Balik Pulau – Jalan Tun Sardon because of a landslide while Jalan Titi Kerawang-Teluk Bahang suffered the same fate due to uprooted trees.
“The public is advised to follow instructions by traffic police to ensure smooth traffic flow,” he said. The military was mobilised in the state following an appeal for federal assistance from Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who had telephoned Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at about 3.30 am. — Bernama
