Number of flood evacuees in Malaysia more than doubles

By P Prem Kumar

KUALA LUMPUR (AA) - More than 19,000 people have been evacuated in two northeastern Malaysian states due to monsoon floods, marking a two-fold increase overnight.

A Civil Department statement released Wednesday said that the number of flood victims in Terengganu had risen to 10,734 as of 10 a.m. (0200GMT) compared to 4,352 the previous night.

The number of relief centers has been increased from 77 to 124 to shelter 3,161 families in the state.

Meanwhile, the number of people evacuated in neighboring Kelantan has also risen from 6,110 last night to 8,640 people from 2,808 families.

No casualties have been reported since serious flooding hit the states during the New Year holiday amid heavy downpour.

A total of 111 schools were ordered to cancel classes Wednesday, affecting some 32,000 students and nearly 3,500 teachers.

The closures were due to flooding of some of the schools and the access roads leading to them, while others were transformed into relief centers.

Monsoon floods are not a new phenomenon in Malaysia, as almost each year-end the east coast faces heavy rainfall, which results in flash flooding.

At the end of 2014, Malaysia witnessed its worst floods in 30 years, with over 250,000 people evacuated at their peak.