Soil erosion forces 62 to vacate KL flats
ATOTAL of 62 residents from the PKNS flats in Jalan Tun Razak, Kampung Baru here, were evacuated to a temporary evacuation centre following soil erosion nearby.
Kuala Lumpur Civil Defence Force officer Captain Aziana Hizazi said heavy rain on Thursday evening from 6.45pm was believed to be the cause of the soil erosion.
“We received information on a possible soil erosion incident and forwarded the information to Kuala Lumpur City Hall.”
She said City Hall told residents to vacate their flat units until the incident was investigated.
She said the 62 victims from 15 families were placed at the Jalan Hamzah Multipurpose Hall near here yesterday morning.
She said evacuees would remain at the temporary centre and await further instructions from the authorities.
In Ipoh, 47 people from Kampung Sungai Klah Baru, Sungkai, near here, were evacuated at midnight yesterday when their homes were inundated with water up to 1.2m high following heavy rain since Thursday afternoon.
However, 26 of them returned home yesterday morning after the waters receded.
As at 11.40am yesterday, 21 people from seven families were still at the temporary relief centre in Kampung Sungai Klah Baru.
A Civil Defence Force spokesman said victims included two men, 11 women, four children, four senior citizens and a baby.
He said the village was flooded following heavy rain from 6.45pm on Thursday to 12.05am, leading to the opening of the relief centre at 11.30pm yesterday.
“The lowlands are still flooded. But the waters are receding and only seven homes are still inundated,” he said yesterday.
He said an officer and 14 staff from the force were being assisted by a police officer and two policemen, along with two officers and three personnel from the Fire and Rescue Department, to monitor the situation.
In Tanjung Malim, 21 people from four families in Kampung Trolak Pekan who were evacuated from their homes due to a flash flood yesterday returned home at 7.45am.
The temporary relief centre at SJK(T) Trolak Pekan was closed at 8am.
The relief centre at the community hall in Kampung Tok Sirat, Sungai Siput, still housed 49 people from 12 families.
The Fire and Rescue Department said it would freeze leave for 10,500 personnel and officers in preparation for floods.
Its director-general, Datuk Mohammad Hamdan Wahid, said this would take effect next month and continue until March.
He said this would ensure that preparations for equipment and logistics would go smoothly.
He said the department’s Air Unit at the bases in Subang, Selangor; Miri, Sarawak; and Bertam, Penang, were placed on standby.
It was reported that Malaysian Meteorological Department director-general Jailan Simon had said the monsoon season from November to March could bring heavy rain, starting in Kelantan and Terengganu, with an average rainfall of 300mm to 650mm a month, compared with 200mm to 300mm a month usually.