Update Jan 14 2007;
FOR the latest Johore Floods PART 4 Go H E RE for (floods report & Pics during from Jan 12 2007 to current…
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MORE PICS – JOHORE Flooded Again – 2nd TIME in Weeks; 1 Week Rain Fell Thursday; BATU PAHAT Dam 1 m above Danger Level; MORE Rain Expected till Monday=========
PART 2
.....Continuing FROM PART 1 -[ MORE PICS –
FLOODS in JOHORE, MALACCA & Other STATES; Last minute “Pipe Water” release at Gadek & Durian Tunggal Caused Floodings. Was it GREED?]
= = = = =for those coming in 1st time , Go PART 1 H E RE for (floods report & Pics during 20 - 26th Dec 06)
also see related Post below
RM81 Million DAMAGES – Roads & Bridges; Other LOSSES By Floods ( Johore, Malacca Pahang & Negeri Sembilan); TOURISTS Destinations; Businesses & Fish FARMS
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if you have seen below
= = == = = == = UPDATE: December 29, 2006 05:17 AM
December 29, 2006 00:17 AM Situation In Flood-Hit States Improves But Johor Death Toll Rises
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29 (Bernama) -- The situation in the flood-hit states of Johor, Melaka and Pahang continued to improve Thursday night but the death toll from the floods in Johor has risen to 11. The latest victim is a 14-year-old boy whose body was found floating in a canal in Kampung Parit Kasan, Bukit Gambir. Mohd Faiz Poniman had fallen into the canal Wednesday. The floods had also claimed two other lives last night and early Thursday when a woman and her three-year-old daughter fell victim.
The body of Punitha Vathi, 31, was recovered at 10 am Thursday and that of her daughter, Parnitra Kamala Nathan, three, at 7.45 pm Wednesday. Both of them were travelling in a Kancil car along with Punitha Vathi's husband Kamala Nathan and another daughter, Pavila, five, when the vehicle was washed away by strong currents in Kampung Haji Kamisan, Yong Peng, Wednesday night. Pavila is still missing following the mishap, which occurred when the family was returning home after having celebrated Parnitra's birthday at an orphanage in Labis. Kamala Nathan has been admitted to the Batu Pahat Hospital. Meanwhile, the number of evacuees at relief centres in Johor has dropped to 55,212 Thursday night, down from 55,774 Thursday evening. A spokesman of the Johor police flood operations room said 220 relief centres remained open, accommodating 16,282 families.
ABOVE & BELOW: Muar still under floods
He also said that Batu Pahat District had the most number of evacuees at 27,709, followed by Muar (18,243), Kota Tinggi (3,828), Johor Baharu (2,898), Segamat (1,932), Mersing (750) and Kluang (718).
In PAHANG, only 249 evacuees remained at four relief centres, all of them in the Rompin District. In MELAKA, the number of evacuees also dropped, with 1,493 remaining at relief centres compared to 1,801 Thursday evening.
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From Ronnie Lie, DAP, Dec 28 2006
Out of the eight ministers from Johor (Hishamuddin, Ong Ka Ting, Khaled Nordin, Muhyiddin, Syed Hamid Syed Albar, Jamaluddin Jarjis…) the only one (Chua Soi Lek) that stays back went to Sabah to receive his datukship when the water started to rise in his constituency.
AAB set a bad example for his Cabinet minister; he just paid a visit, said a few words, touched a baby’s head and then flied to Australia for holidays.
In a forum organised by Oriental Daily last night, I said the ministers did not bother to come back because they have always won big in Johor and they believe that they will still be voted in the next GE even if they did not come back to help out. No?
MerdekaReview.com has the story…in Chinese
Automatically translated text:
By Google Translator
(Read with care, the gist and meaning are there) - Apology TEXT ALL underlined below, no time to correct
Ministers national calamity flood stricken taste holiday date /Dec government corruption consequences [28, 2006 [/07:06 time : 20 pm News / home country situation [writer / Our Huisi [Chen Chen Huisi conceived –
Our government's handling of Mato floods many oversights triggered all sorts of grievances. (Ronnie) Liu Zhendong commentators that the government through sectoral distribution, transportation economic interests and political interests that natural disaster management day-to-day management of all serious; Mato only enlarged flood of corruption and incompetence of the government. Deputy Prime Minister Najib floods in the week before the outbreak of Mato announced RM 80 million yuan allocated by the government for flood relief funds as the East Coast.
Liu Zhendong said that 80 million yuan is not a small sum, if well utilized, will be effective in preventing floods. However, because the public sphere developed all sorts of planning and coordination, funding has often translated into practical action "devaluation". unable to reach their target results, thereby leading to many disasters. He pointed out that the strategy to deal with natural disasters often is paid a large amount of money in infrastructure. UMNO Road because the music here is the government operates on building a political party.
He said : "My government is useless brain, but it has to solve the problem with a brick; No implementation plan, tiles will not solve the problem! "Liu Zhendong last night in the" Oriental Daily News "host" Segamat flood catastrophe "lecture delivered remarks. At the seminar will be held in mid Xuehuatang attracted about 60 participants, The lecture will be another presenter town planners Yong Yang Shan, Long Xuehuatang moderator for the Economic and Social Commission Vice Chairman Yang promising. Ministers national calamity holiday Liuzhendong point out a strange phenomenon : the floods here, the state leaders?
He pointed out that Prime Minister Ahmad Badawi use of the short turnaround time from Venezuela to return to Johor grown children, pat as charged. I flew to Australia travel; Local government and Housing Minister Ong Ka Ting and Science. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Azmi Khalid (Azmi Khalid) in the child's distress are still 80,000 foreign nationals are flooding holiday, It seems to have no sense of crisis, the entire government institutions, only to flood as day-to-day affairs.
He yelled : "80,000 people to evacuate is a national crisis, but we do not feel is a crisis in Kuala Lumpur. whether it is regarded as a national crisis? "He asked :" We have crisis management? Many people had died in the floods. kidney disease died because of water shortages, we need to review. The flood has given us in the media feel? While media reports in the disaster. But the criticism of the system was inadequate. "before December 19, Mato floods occurred 100 years, Johor, Negeri Sembilan. Malacca, Pahang turned into a flood plain area more than three states, as many as 80,000 people to evacuate. So far, seven people were killed in floods. During the floods in several areas face water outages or even sixth problem.
Accommodating to consolidate government departments on the strength Liuzhendong of the division of the abnormal appearance of China's public domain : breakdown by size of gullies and municipal management of natural resources, development of housing and local government ministries and the management of housing and lending industries. Local governments refuse Entrepreneur Development and management of public transport license. Emerged among many of the tasks and functions of the name of the department and the local match. He believes that this government is becoming deformed face, and the mismanagement of public affairs; because the layout of government departments to be used for supplying wealth and resources. He said that UMNO accommodating to the construction industry, the Malaysian Association on commercial development to consolidate its forces, government departments and the allocation of economic benefits that can be closely connected.
For example, he said : "Public transport is the licensing of the Ministry of Enterprise Development, which is the predecessor of the Department of Public Enterprises; implementation of the new economic policy is the main agenda of the Ministry of Public Enterprises. The economic interests. political interests and departments arrangements. "In addition, he said : "Housing development Malayan economic interests closely related. When we look at how to manage state government. we should look at the structure of government. "" Waste Management is responsible for local government, But garbage has been privatized. the results of privatization, We have seen some rural areas not specifically refuse the garbage trucks transferring garbage collection, but use common law of refuse collection. Why? The amount has been specified in the contract because there are layers of sub-contractors. Finally the works contractors have money, Only come with waste disposal.
"Johor National Front leader will win lightly points out the terrible public administration and economic interests linking apart Liu Zhendong also said that the reason why people today prefer to believe rumors, nor do I want to listen to the government's announcement. already shaken because the government's credibility. He said that there is a collective memory, association, the government must establish its credibility a long time; rumors even so, in his letter to the people of official rhetoric. He said : "If the life of the flood of explosives used to be a minister, then people will see the two Mongolian girls in case their minds; Wu Qing members today Malay sword held high, people will think of the 1987 UMNO leaders have also Jujian shouted : Chinese cleansed it with a sword. "cottages action referred to the White Paper. Wu Qing delegation to October 17, 1987 Bermuda Road Stadium in Kuala Lumpur widening provoked rallies, the current deputy prime minister, Wu Qing, head of Naji (Pictured right) to hold high the Malay dagger-called "Chinese used to wash the blood that sword."
Finally Liu Zhendong said : "The recent U.S. election, the Republicans lost control of the House and the Senate, someone said, Carter Lie typhoon is the turning point, the Americans see this natural disaster. Tens of thousands of people have originally in the backyard of the United States did not have trouble Stadium. Election ballots can change the economic interests of the organization and efficiency in the public domain. This is what we need to consider. "said Liu Zhendong fate of proposed changes to the votes received active responses from the audience. Democratic Action Party Secretary Liu Tian non-governmental organizations in the audience in the time slot, said : "Johor eight ministers However, apart from fine Li Cai in Malaysia, the other foreign ministers. including Ong Ka Ting. If the National Front victory is not always in Johor state, and to tens of thousands of majority Kuangsheng. If they have not returned do not think it would win, how will they come back? I thought that they would think Since I have chosen anyway, so why should I Peregrine? "He said :" The flood disaster occurred, we can only blame myself for the government because the government is elected by us! Most people ignore corruption, so people will try consequences, also be the responsibility of the people to bear! - Note- this Google Automatic translation is from simplified Chinese to English
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Thursday December 28, 2006, STAR
CM denies dam water caused flooding
MALACCA: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam has denied an allegation that Syarikat Air Melaka (SAM) released water from the Durian Tunggal Dam in Alor Gajah, causing several areas to be flooded. He said excess water in the dam which reached full capacity due to exceptionally heavy rain last week, was instead pumped to Jus dam in Jasin which was facing a water shortage. “I strongly deny a DAP allegation that I had made a statement that SAM had released water from Durian Tunggal dam causing several areas to be flooded,” he told reporters after chairing the state exco meeting at Seri Negeri, Ayer Keroh near here, yesterday. Mohd Ali said SAM had opened the water gate at the Gangsa pump house to save the generator which powered the Bertam and Bukit Sebukor water treatment plants. He said the downpour had flooded the water gate at the pump house. On flood assistance, he said the state government had allocated RM1.8 mil to help the 9,403 victims.
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Thursday December 28, 2006, STAR
Mercy sets up health camps at Johor flood sites
MUAR: Mercy Malaysia has set up health camps in flooded areas to check for any outbreak of disease while the army is sending water to hospitals and homes. A Mercy team, headed by Dr Abdul Malik Abdul Ghafur, is in Bukit Kepong, which has been cut off from the rest of the district. Dr Abdul Malik said access was only possible by boat from Lenga or by helicopter. The team set up camp there to check on the health of the villagers. “After checking some 50 evacuees, we found that three children in a family had mouth ulcers and provided the necessary medication,” he said. “The rest of the villagers seemed to be in good health but we urged them to only drink boiled water if there is no bottled water.”
Muar marine police commanding officer Asst Supt Lajis Tahir said all police boats stationed in flood areas were meant for rescuing residents, sending emergency supplies or ferrying victims to relief centres. An army team under commanding officer Lt Col Ahmad Fareed Ariffin from Camp Batu Tiga in Kluang has been supplying clean water to the Sultanah Fatimah Specialist Hospital here. The hospital, which has had no water supply since the district was flooded last week, made an emergency request to the army which rushed four water tankers there on Tuesday evening. Lt Col Ahmad Fareed said the soldiers have since delivered nearly one million litres of clean water to the hospital. He said 200 soldiers, four water tankers, 20 trucks and 16 boats were helping out in Bukit Kepong and Muar. “Our duty is to save lives and we will do anything to serve the people in flooded areas. If the flood situation in Segamat improves, we will bring in our boats from Segamat to serve the people here,” he said in Pagoh yesterday.
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December 28, 2006 21:53 PM
Johor Flood Death Toll Rises To 11
MUAR, Dec 28 (Bernama) -- The death toll from the devastating floods in Johor has risen to 11 when the body of Mohd Faiz Poniman, 14, who Wednesday fell into an irrigation canal at Kampung Parit Kasan, Bukit Gambir, here was found by the rescue team at about 4pm Thursday. Muar District Police Chief Mohd Nazir Mohd Ali said the student's body was found by the team, floating about 100 metres from the spot where he slipped and fell. The body has been sent to Sultanah Fatimah Hospital for autopsy. Wednesday, the rescue team found a body of three-year-old girl, Parnithra Kamalanathan, after a Kancil driven by her father was swept away by a strong current. Her mother, Punitha Vathi, 31, and sister, Pavira Kamalanathan, five, were also in the vehicle. Punitha's body was found by the rescue team at 10am Thursday, while Pavira was still missing. Punitha's husband and father of the two children, Kamalanathan, escaped the tragedy and is being treated at Batu Pahat District Hospital.
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December 28, 2006 18:34 PM
Flood Victims To Get Free Replacement Of Lost RTD Documents
PUTRAJAYA, Dec 28 (Bernama) -- The Road Transport Department (RTD) will provide free replacement of the driving licence, road tax slip and vehicle registration certificate of motorists whose documents were lost or defaced during the recent floods in southern Peninsular Malaysia. Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy said these motorists could apply for copies of the documents at the nearest RTD office between Jan 3 and Feb 28 next year. They would only have to show proof they were flood victims by producing verification from the police, ketua kampung (village chief), penghulu, village security and development committee or Social Welfare Department.
Chan said Puspakom was prepared to provide free replacement of the vehicle inspection certificate if the original had been damaged or lost in the floods.
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December 28, 2006 15:21 PM
Prepare For Second Wave Of Floods, Says Najib
KUANTAN, Dec 28 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak wants all government departments and agencies including rescue teams to brace themselves for the second wave of floods. "If it doesn't occur, then thank God but if it does, we must be ready so that the necessary operations can be carried out efficiently," he told reporters here. He was commenting on the Meteorological Department's report yesterday which forecast bad weather for Johor and south-eastern Pahang until Sunday and continuous heavy rain over Melaka and Negri Sembilan for another four days which may cause more floods. He said this meant that all the relevant government departments and agencies including those monitoring the weather, district and village administration, agencies disseminating the news, military personnel, policemen and firemen must be in a state of alertness to ensure the safety of lives and properties. "Whatever operations we carry out must be done efficiently so that we can save lives and properties where possible," he said.
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December 28, 2006 15:25 PM
Bukit Kepong Police Station Site Museum Hit By Flood
ABOVE:SUBMERGED… The historic Bukit Kepong police station that had been attacked by the communists in February 23, 1950 is submerged under two to three metres of water when the Muar river overflowed due to heavy rain.
By B. Hariharasuthan
MUAR, Dec 28 (Bernama) -- An armoured vehicle, a boat and some pictures preserved from the Bukit Kepong police station armed encounter with communist terrorists during the Emergency period, are among items destroyed by flood as the site museum of the police station is partly submerged since Dec 21.
The extent of the damage is yet to be known and it will be quite a task for the police to clean and restore the museum when the flood subsides. Officer-in-charge of the Lenga police station, Sergeant Major Che Abd Rahim Che Idris, said the museum was built a few years after the attack and valuable pictures of the Bukit Kepong incident were kept there. "We were aware of the flood warning but we never expected that the water would rise so quickly. "We tried to salvage as many items as possible. Unfortunately, we only managed to grab some pictures of the Bukit Kepong heroes," he told Bernama when met here Thursday. In Feb 23, 1950, the Kampung Bukit Kepong police station, which was situated near the Muar River on the west coast of Johor, came under attack by communist insurgents, leaving 17 out of the 21 police personnel defending it, die as national heroes. As a remembrance of the historic armed encounter and the heroes, a site museum was built at the place.
Che Abd Rahim said some other important documents and valuable items were kept at the Royal Malaysian Police Museum in Kuala Lumpur. The flood has also caused the Bukit Kepong police station which is adjacent to the museum to be partly submerged under two to three metres of water until today. Due to the flood, its personnel are forced to operate under tents erected on higher ground nearby. Che Abd Rahim said the government planned to build a new Bukit Kepong police station this year but it had to be postponed due to floods.
Lenga, one of the badly affected areas in Muar due to floods, saw villages like Kampung Sungai Berani, Kampung Lenga, Kampung Bukit Kepong, Kampung Tui, Kampung Meda and Bukit Bendar to be under four to six metres of water. A check by Bernama found the road heading to Bukit Kepong closed and rescue boats provided by the police, army and Fire and Rescue Department being used to ferry people to the Bukit Kepong relief centres. It took about an hour's boat ride from Lenga, which is 15 km away, to reach Bukit Kepong. Oil palm and rubber estates were also hit by floods, while electricity and water supply had been cut to the affected areas. Meanwhile; local villagers claimed that some of them saw crocodiles, believed to have come from Sungai Muar.
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December 28, 2006 13:28 PM
MIC's Aid For Flood Victims In Johor
JOHOR BAHARU, Dec 28 (Bernama) -- MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu spent the last two days in Johor meeting flood victims, mostly Indians, and handing out cash totalling almost RM200,000 and other forms of aid to them. The Works Minister postponed his annual leave to be with the flood victims and to co-ordinate relief efforts with the local MIC leaders. "I have met a few hundred??????????????? families who are affected by the floods and handed to them some assistance," Samy Vellu told reporters after handing over cash aid to some 300 Indian families from Kampung Oren in Ulu Tiram, near here. He also surveyed a stream near several houses in Ulu Tiram that had been affected by floods. Upon learning from the residents that their homes were flooded due to a road project nearby, the minister took out his cellphone and called the contractor to take remedial steps. "I was told that as soon as I left the place, the contractor came with a few engineers and surveyed the area, including the river and assured the residents that action would be taken," Samy Vellu told Bernama later. The minister also visited several homes located near the river to find out their problems.
As he stopped at a Malay family's home, he noticed a child with a slightly disfigured face and offered to bear the cost of plastic surgery for the child. "I called up my doctor friend and asked him to make the necessary arrangements," Samy Vellu said. Earlier, he handed over items such as rice, cooking oil, flour and canned food contributed by Gerbang Perdana Sdn Bhd, the contractor for the new Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex here, to 103 families from Kampung Pelantung in Masai, near here. Samy Vellu also visited a village in Cha'ah and handed out financial and other forms of aid to about 1,000 families, mostly Indians. He announced that the MIC had donated RM50,000 to a flood relief fund.
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Update: Dec 28 2006; 13:29pm
INDIAN Family- 4 in Kancil Washed Away –Yong Peng; Father warded, 3-year Old Daughter Found, Mother and Another Missing; LOOTING- 3 Youths Charged in Kota Tinggi; MORE Rains to come Foecast
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December 28, 2006 12:30 PM
Rain Forecast For Johor, South-eastern Pahang, East Coast Until Sunday
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 28 (Bernama) -- The intermittent rain falling in Johor and southern Pahang and the moderately heavy rain in Kelantan, Terengganu and several other areas in Pahang is expected to continue until Sunday. The Meteorological Department said in a statement that the moderately heavy rain in Melaka and Negeri Sembilan is forecast to last until tomorrow. The heavy rain with lightning in Labuan and Sandakan, Kudat, and the Sabah west coast is expected to continue until this afternoon. In Sarawak, heavy rain is forecast for Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong, Sarikei, Sibu and Mukah from tomorrow until Monday, the statement adds.
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December 28, 2006 11:25 AM
Three-Year-old Is Ninth Flood Casualty, Mother And Sister Missing
JOHOR BAHARU, Dec 28 (Bernama) -- The floods in Johor claimed their ninth casualty when the body of a three-year-old girl was found in Kampung Haji Kamisan, Yong Peng, last night. A Johor police flood operations room spokesman said the girl's body was found at about 7.45pm. She was reported missing after the Perodua Kancil car which she was travelling in with her parents and five-year-old sister was swept away by strong currents in the village.
The spokesman said that the mother and sister were believed to be still missing and the search for them was continuing. Police were trying to ascertain the identity of the Indian girl from her father, who is warded at the Batu Pahat Hospital, he said. He also said that the search for Mohamed Farid Poniman, 14, who was feared drowned after he slipped and was swept away by the swift waters while playing with his friends in Kampung Parit Kasan, Simpang Lima, Bukit Gambir, Muar, yesterday morning was also continuing. In Kota Tinggi, a supermarket worker, Mohamed Lokman Zakaria, 17, who was reported missing during the floods, had still not been found. The spokesman said the number of flood victims in Johor had climbed to 57,419 as at 8am today compared with 57,220 last night.
A total of 224 relief centres were still open in the state while 146 had been closed in stages. He said Batu Pahat had the most evacuees at 27,688, followed by Muar (18,920), Kota Tinggi (4,071), Johor Baharu (3,280), Segamat (2,451), Mersing (753) and Kluang (256). Jalan Segamat-Tangkak in Simpang Tebing Tinggi, Jalan Segamat-Tangkak in Simpang Pasir Bali and Jalan Segamat-Bukit Kepong were still closed to traffic after the flood waters rose to between 0.6m and 2m and the Felda Redong bridge was still cut off. In Batu Pahat, the roads which were still closed were Jalan Tongkang Pecah-Parit Jalil, 5th Mile Jalan Yong Peng-Parit Sulong, Jalan Parit Karjo-Senggarang, 1st Mile Kampung Baru-Parit Sulong, Jalan Parit Terus-Sri Medan, Jalan Seri Pasir-Seri Medan, Jalan Yong Peng-Parit Sulong-Muar, Jalan Sengkuang-Sri Bengkal-Parit Yaani, Jalan Taman Seri Wangsa-Parit Besar and Jalan Parit Sentang-Senggarang while those in Muar were Jalan Pagoh-Lenga, Jalan Pagoh-Panchor and Jalan Bukit Kepong-Labis. In PAHANG, a state police operations room spokesman said that as at 8.30am there were 440 evacuees in six relief centres in Rompin district and 385 evacuees in two relief centres in Pekan. In MELAKA, the number of evacuees at seven relief centres remained at 2,188 as at 8am.
A Melaka flood operations room spokesman said all the victims from 495 families were from Jasin district
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Update: Dec 28 2006; 13:29pm
INDIAN Family- 4 in Kancil Washed Away –Yong Peng; Father warded, 3-year Old Daughter Found, Mother and Another Missing; LOOTING- 3 Youths Charged in Kota Tinggi; MORE Rains to come Foecast= = == = == = = =
December 28, 2006 12:30 PM
Rain Forecast For Johor, South-eastern Pahang, East Coast Until Sunday
ABOVE & BELOW: Flooding in Johore Baharu town
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 28 (Bernama) -- The intermittent rain falling in Johor and southern Pahang and the moderately heavy rain in Kelantan, Terengganu and several other areas in Pahang is expected to continue until Sunday. The Meteorological Department said in a statement that the moderately heavy rain in Melaka and Negeri Sembilan is forecast to last until tomorrow. The heavy rain with lightning in Labuan and Sandakan, Kudat, and the Sabah west coast is expected to continue until this afternoon. In Sarawak, heavy rain is forecast for Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong, Sarikei, Sibu and Mukah from tomorrow until Monday, the statement adds.
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December 28, 2006 11:25 AM
Three-Year-old Is Ninth Flood Casualty, Mother And Sister Missing
JOHOR BAHARU, Dec 28 (Bernama) -- The floods in Johor claimed their ninth casualty when the body of a three-year-old girl was found in Kampung Haji Kamisan, Yong Peng, last night. A Johor police flood operations room spokesman said the girl's body was found at about 7.45pm. She was reported missing after the Perodua Kancil car which she was travelling in with her parents and five-year-old sister was swept away by strong currents in the village.
The spokesman said that the mother and sister were believed to be still missing and the search for them was continuing. Police were trying to ascertain the identity of the Indian girl from her father, who is warded at the Batu Pahat Hospital, he said. He also said that the search for Mohamed Farid Poniman, 14, who was feared drowned after he slipped and was swept away by the swift waters while playing with his friends in Kampung Parit Kasan, Simpang Lima, Bukit Gambir, Muar, yesterday morning was also continuing.
ABOVE & BELOW: Inside views of relief centres in Johor
In Kota Tinggi, a supermarket worker, Mohamed Lokman Zakaria, 17, who was reported missing during the floods, had still not been found. The spokesman said the number of flood victims in Johor had climbed to 57,419 as at 8am today compared with 57,220 last night.
ABOVE & BELOW: Lunch time at the relief centres
A total of 224 relief centres were still open in the state while 146 had been closed in stages. He said Batu Pahat had the most evacuees at 27,688, followed by Muar (18,920), Kota Tinggi (4,071), Johor Baharu (3,280), Segamat (2,451), Mersing (753) and Kluang (256). Jalan Segamat-Tangkak in Simpang Tebing Tinggi, Jalan Segamat-Tangkak in Simpang Pasir Bali and Jalan Segamat-Bukit Kepong were still closed to traffic after the flood waters rose to between 0.6m and 2m and the Felda Redong bridge was still cut off. In Batu Pahat, the roads which were still closed were Jalan Tongkang Pecah-Parit Jalil, 5th Mile Jalan Yong Peng-Parit Sulong, Jalan Parit Karjo-Senggarang, 1st Mile Kampung Baru-Parit Sulong, Jalan Parit Terus-Sri Medan, Jalan Seri Pasir-Seri Medan, Jalan Yong Peng-Parit Sulong-Muar, Jalan Sengkuang-Sri Bengkal-Parit Yaani, Jalan Taman Seri Wangsa-Parit Besar and Jalan Parit Sentang-Senggarang while those in Muar were Jalan Pagoh-Lenga, Jalan Pagoh-Panchor and Jalan Bukit Kepong-Labis.
In PAHANG, a state police operations room spokesman said that as at 8.30am there were 440 evacuees in six relief centres in Rompin district and 385 evacuees in two relief centres in Pekan. In MELAKA, the number of evacuees at seven relief centres remained at 2,188 as at 8am.
A Melaka flood operations room spokesman said all the victims from 495 families were from Jasin district = = = = == = = == =
3 Youths charged at the Kota Tinggi Majistrate Court on Dec 28 2006 for looting on Dec 23 2006 at a store . Muhammad Fairuz Dollah, 18; Mohd Aminuddin Maskum,18 and Mohd Fauzi Mohd Taib, 18 were charged with stealing handphones at about 3.30pm from a tsore. The Majistrate granted bail of RM5000 each and fixed Feb 28 06 for mention again.
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JOHORE FLOODS: More Aid For POOR STUDENTS; Primary: RM800, Secondary: RM900 Each; Johore gets RM5.1 Million from Women, Family & Community Development Ministry; Flood Stricken States Improving + Johor
With hari Hari Raya Haji just round the corner, this further aid would be most welcome by these Poor families affected by the floods. But WHY Johore is getting the Extra? Why the discrimination from Women, Family & Community Development Ministry? What about Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Malacca.
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December 28, 2006 00:18 AM
Situation In Flood Stricken States Improves Further
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 28 (Bernama) -- The situation in the flood stricken states is improving including in Johor which took a turn for the worse Tuesday with the number of evacuees in the state dropping to 57,220 at 5 pm Wednesday compared to 60,156 Tuesday. A Johor Police Flood Operation Room spokesman said 140 relief centres had been closed including all in Pontian leaving 226 centres still open late Wednesday afternoon. A total of 25,613 victims are still sheltered at 73 relief centres in Batu Pahat after floodwaters rose in Parit Sulong, Semerah and Yong Peng Tuesday. In Muar, 19,190 people are still taking refuge at 69 relief centres as Lenga, Bukit Kepong, Panchor and Tangkak are still under water. In other districts, 4,639 people are still sheltered at 28 relief centres in Kota Tinggi, Johor Baharu (3,516), Segamat (3,187), Mersing (836) and Kluang (239).
The spokesman said all roads leading to Kota Tinggi are now open to traffic after floodwaters had receded while shopkeepers and flood victims were busy cleaning up the mess at their premises and homes since noon. In Melaka, the number of people sheltered dropped to 2,179 at the remaining seven relief centres in Jasin at 6 pm Wednesday compared to 2,283 four hours earlier. In Pahang, evacuees at eight relief centres in Rompin and Pekan districts remained at 832 at 9 pm.
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December 27, 2006 22:34 PM
Johor Govt Receives RM5.1 Million From Shahrizat's Ministry
MUAR, Dec 27 (Bernama) -- The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, Wednesday gave RM5.1 million to the Johor government to help the state in restoring its flood-hit areas. Its Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the contribution came from the Welfare Services Department and National Welfare Foundation, and it will be used for the management and restoration of flood-hit areas. "This contribution is crucial to ease the burden of the flood victims...We hope such support will continue. We have to work together to help them," she told Bernama after presenting the contribution to Johor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Othman at the Kampung Kesang Laut Multipurpose Hall, here Wednesday. Shahrizat said more than 70,000 flood victims from 13,417 families have registered themselves at the Welfare Services Department, and each family had been given RM200.
The Wanita Umno vice-president also said a total of 2,000 volunteers from the movement had gone to the ground to assist the flood victims. "We have informed all Wanita Umno divisions to send their representatives or volunteers to the flood affected areas. We have to identify their problems and needs. "In fact, during the early part of the floods, we had visited relief centres to help with what we can. Contributions like food and basic items will continue to be channelled to them," she said. She said a total of RM60,000 had been donated by Wanita Umno to the state government. Earlier, she met the flood victims at the relief centre to check on their problems.
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December 27, 2006 20:51 PM
Flood In Johor Worsens, Situation In Pahang And Melaka Improves;
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 27 (Bernama) -- Flood situation in Johor worsened, while the situation in Pahang and Melaka had improved, Wednesday evening. Rainfall since yesterday morning until 7am today in Johor Baharu had worsened the flood situation, with the number of evacuees at relief centres in the city increasing to 3,367 against 1,208, Wednesday. To date, a total of 60,156 evacuees in Johor were still staying at 229 relief centres in the state. A spokesman from the Johor Police Contingent Headquarters' Flood Operations Room said from the total, 25,669 victims were in Batu Pahat, Muar (19,723), Kota Tinggi (6,380), Segamat (3,609), Pontian (57), Mersing (780), Kluang (571) and Johor Baharu (3,367). Meanwhile, a 14-year-old student was feared to have drowned when he was swept off by strong current after falling into an irrigation canal at Kampung Parit Kasan, Simpang Lima, Bukit Gambir, here Wednesday morning. Mohd Farid Poniman was playing near the canal with four friends and a younger brother when he slipped down the canal. Muar OCPD ACP Mohd Nazir Mohd Ali said a search operation was being carried out by members of the armed forces, police, fire and rescue department and Civil Defence Department. Mohd Farid and his family were staying at a relief centre at Sekolah Agama Simpang Lima since last week when their house was flooded. Prior to this, the flood in Johor had taken the lives of teacher M. Mageswari, 27, and her uncle A. Muniandy on Dec 20; painter Mohd Azahari Nordin, 27 and two senior citizens Ahmad Sharkawi, 70, and Masiah Ahmad, 69 (Dec 21); senior citizen Ow Kee Heng, 60's (Dec 22); Mepalese Chandra Bahadur Kharka, 24 (Dec 23); and an Indonesian Abdul Wahid, 29, (Dec 25). In PAHANG, one more relief centre had been closed as many victims returned to their homes this evening. Pahang Police Contingent Headquarters' flood operations room spokesman said as of 4.30pm Wednesday, the number of evacuees at eight relief centres in Rompin and Pekan had been reduced to 832 people from 1,250 in the afternoon. In MELAKA, the number of evacuees at seven relief centres were also down to 2,283 people as of 2.00pm, Wednesday compared with 3,187 victims in the afternoon. A State flood operations room spokesman said all the relief centres were in Jasin.
= = = = = == =December 27, 2006 20:27 PM
Early Warning System Effective, Says Najib
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 27 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Wednesday said that the early warning system to alert people about the impending floods in several areas in Johor last week was effective. However, he said the water level was rising too quickly to enable people to react immediately. "The system was effective but the increase in the water level was quite extraordinary, beyond anybody's expectation, so that was something totally unexpected," he told reporters when met after a national-level 2006 Christmas Open House, here. Najib was asked to comment on newsreports, Wednesday which quoted Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz as saying that the public had been warned about the possible floods in Johor on Dec 15 and Dec 16. Mohamed Nazri also denied claims by some residents in flood-stricken areas that they had no advance warning of the floods. Najib said the 24-hour downpour was beyond expectation and equivalent to two months of rainfall. "The amount of rainfall was unusual, as such, in some houses, the flood waters have reached the waist level within two to three hours," he said. Najib said due to the unusual floods, the situation in the state within the first two days of the disaster, was rather uncertain. However, he said, the swift action by all parties involved, helped dispel the cloud of uncertainty and stabilised the situation. On the flood aid to students, Najib said the government would make efforts to ensure that all students affected by the floods would receive them the latest, within two days before school session begins. "If we use the available channels, there is no reason why we can't reach the targeted groups," he said. More importantly, he said, the flood victims had registered the names of their children affected by the disaster at the respective relief centres. The government, Tuesday announced flood aid of RM200 each to secondary school students and RM100 each to primary pupils affected by the floods. It is estimated that in Johor alone, 33,000 students will receive the aid. Other flood-hit states are Melaka, Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan. On the tsunami warning issued by the Meteorological Department on Sabah and Sarawak following the earthquake in Taiwan last night, Najib said the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation was monitoring the situation. "We had previously received warning of a tsunami occurring but after monitoring the situation, we concluded that the tsunami would not take place, hence the same procedure will be used this time," he said.
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December 27, 2006 20:07 PM
More Than RM10 Mln Allocated To Flood-Hit Students
PUTRAJAYA, Dec 27 (Bernama) -- The Education Ministry has allocated RM10.6 million to help 44,890 students affected by the floods in Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang, its minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said Wednesday. He said RM1.4 million would be given to 4,141 students in Johor, RM2.2 million for 6,964 students in Negeri Sembilan, RM1.8 million for 8,691 students in Melaka and RM5.2 million for 25,094 students in Pahang.
Under the assistance to be generated from the Poor Students Trust Fund (KWAPM), each primary school student will get RM200 while secondary school students will each receive RM300. At the same time, the affected students would also be receiving general assistance for 10 months during the school term, that is, RM500 for primary school students and RM400 for secondary schools, he said in a statement. He said students affected by the floods could contact their respective schools for the assistance before the school session begins on Jan 3.
This latest flood aid from the ministry does not include financial assistance of RM100 and RM200 each to primary and secondary students respectively which were affected by the floods, as announced by the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Tuesday. Altogether, primary school students affected by the floods will receive RM800 each while secondary school students will each receive RM900.
= = = == = = = = =DEC 27 2006, Wed, UPDATE: 18:53pm
December 27, 2006 15:28 PM
Auto Workshops Enjoying Brisk Business From Floods
SEGAMAT, Dec 27 (Bernama) --Auto workshops are enjoying brisk business from the devastating floods in Johor, with many working round-the-clock to ensure their customers get back to their normal life again after being forced to flee their homes and take refuge at the relief centres. In Segamat, car mechanics and auto cleaners have been working hard all day and night since last Friday to ensure everybody in town would be able to move freely again. Local car mechanic Hamidun Yahmu, 30, said that he and his partner had repaired more than 40 vehicles since they resumed their operation last Friday. Like everyone else, he was also affected by the worst floods in decades in the state. Hamidun estimated that more than 1,000 vehicles in Segamat alone were affected by the district's worst flood on Dec 19. Most of the repair work he does now is changing the motor oil so that the vehicles would be able to move again. "There is so much work now that further repair works involving overhauling and cleaning the engine would have to be done later," he said. Vehicles with carburettor engines are easier and cheaper to repair than the fuel injection engines, according to him. He said most of the mechanics here charged about RM100 for their service and more depending on the type of motor oil used. "For Proton owners, the cost of repair is cheaper because almost all Proton cars use carburettor engines and most of the repair work involves changing the motor oil and spark plugs. "However, for the fuel injection engines, the vehicle's onboard computer circuits would need to be changed too and the prices of computer circuits vary depending on the types of vehicles," he added. For Toyota vehicles like the Avanza, a set of new computer circuit or computer board costs more than RM4,200, while its pick-up truck, the Hilux, has six computer circuits. The computer circuits for a Mercedes Benz, it is understood, may cost more than RM20,000 and the latest series uses two computer circuits. Hamidun said the computer circuits of luxury cars like the Mercedes Benz were easier to repair because they could control more functions than the cheaper models. Besides the engine repair, the interior of the car would need to be cleaned and that would cost another RM200 to RM400, depending on the type of car and the services offered by the auto cleaner, he added.
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December 27, 2006 17:21 PM
Free Replacement For MyKad And Passport Lost Or Damaged In FloodsKUALA LUMPUR, Dec 27 (Bernama) -- Flood victims whose personal documents like the MyKad and MyKid identification cards, birth and marriage certificates and passports were lost or damaged by the floods could have them replaced for free, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Tan Chai Ho said. He said the National Registration Department would send its mobile teams to areas affected by the floods to asist the victims concerned. "However, they (victims) will have to lodge reports on the loss or damage of the documents with the police as well as obtain a letter from the Welfare Department to verify that they are victims of a natural disaster," he told reporters after the handing of a RM28,000 grant for dyslexia research by the Bandar Tun Razak Education Foundation to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), here Wednesday. Tan said a more thorough check would be conducted on those applying to replace their passports adding that efforts would be made to get the documents ready within 24 hours.
= = = = == = =Wednesday December 27, 2006
Nazri: Public was warned of possible floods
KUALA LUMPUR: The public had been warned of a possible flood in Johor on Dec 15 and Dec 16, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said. Nazri denied claims by some in the flood-stricken areas that they had no advance warning of the floods. “The public was informed on Dec 15 and Dec 16,” he told reporters after launching a seminar and exhibition in conjunction with the Disaster Awareness Day anniversary at the Putra World Trade Centre here yesterday.
He was asked to comment on public complaints that the people were not informed about the possibility of floods via the media. “We knew about it in advance. We went down to the ground to inform the people about the rising waters and advised them to evacuate. “Unfortunately, there were some people who were reluctant to leave their homes although the water level was one foot high. They took the matter lightly,” he said. “And it happened too fast. We did not have time to inform the Information Ministry because we were focusing on rescue efforts. “I’m not giving excuses but we directed our attention to more important things. In just a few days, we put in place relief centres. Let’s not look at what we could have done.”
He said the Meteorological Services Department knew of the possibility of heavy rainfall based on the Dec 13 upgrade of its warning from yellow to orange on Dec 15 and 16 and the red alert warning on Dec 19. “We always think that it normally occurs in Kelantan and Terengganu. What’s important is that within a short time we managed to get 74,000 people to relief centres. That’s a great achievement.” Nazri said according to the department, there had been continuous rain in the whole of Johor, beginning yesterday evening. “We will call those who have returned to their homes following good weather yesterday and the previous day to go back to the relief centres,” he said, adding that according to the department, the weather was expected to be wet until Dec 29. Asked whether the Johor government had requested any allocation to improve the drainage in the state, he said: “There has been a request. Certainly, we have to spend to rectify the drainage system and to prevent a recurrence of the floods.
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December 27, 2006 12:29 PM
Water In Parts Of Johor Rises, Pahang And Melaka Receding
ABOVE: Wisma Persekutan in Johore Baru under floods
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 27 (Bernama) --Heavy rains for the past two days have caused floodwaters to rise in several areas in Johor this morning, but the situation in two other states, Pahang and Melaka, have improved. As a result of the heavy downpour, JOHOR, the worst-hit by the devastating floods, said to be the worst ever experienced in 30 years, forced more people to leave their homes, with the number of evacuees at relief centres increasing to 60,156 people this morning and several roads closed to traffic.
A spokesman of the Johor Police Contingent Headquarters flood operations room said out of the total, 25,669 victims were in Batu Pahat, Muar (19,723), Kota Tinggi (6,380), Segamat (3,609), Pontian (57), Mersing (780), Kluang (571) and Johor Baharu (3,367). He said the heavy rain since 7 am today brought the total number of victims at relief centres in Johor Baharu to 3,367 from 1,208 last night. Yesterday morning, all victims in Johor Baharu were allowed to return home.
However the spokesman said, the number of evacuation centres which had been reopened in the district remained at five: Dewan Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Pu Sze, Dewan Sengkang, Masjid Jamek Kampung Lorong Arif, Sekolah Agama Cahaya Masai and Balairaya Kampung Bukit Pulai. He said Jalan Tun Sri Lanang, Jalan Tun Habab, KM29 Jalan Kota Tinggi-Johor Baharu, Batu 10 Mawai-Sedili, Jalan Lukut and Jalan Kampung Panti di Kota Tinggi were closed to vehicles as water had reached 0.5 metre high. Main roads that are closed in Segamat are Jalan Segamat-Tangkak, Km54 Jalan Segamat-Kuantan, Km3 Jalan Muar-Segamat, Batu 8 Jalan Muar-Jementah and Jalan Segamat-Yong Peng while in Batu Pahat, it involves Jalan Tongkang Pecah-Parit Jalil, Batu 5 Jalan Yong Peng-Parit Sulong and Jalan Parit Karjo-Senggarang. He said other roads in Segamat closed to vehicles are Batu 1 Kampung Baru-Parit Sulong, Jalan Parit Terus, Jalan Seri Pasir and Jalan Yong Peng-Muar, while in Muar, Km3 Jalan Felda Moakil-Labis, Batu 27 Jalan Pagoh-Labis, Jalan Bukit Kepong-Labis, Jalan Pagoh-Panchor, Jalan Sungai Mati-Muar and Jalan Muar-Parit Sulong are also closed to traffic. The water level in Sungai Segamat has now reached a warning stage with a reading of 8.65 metres, Sungai Sembrong, Kluang (3.45, warning), Sungai Skudai (7.53, alert), Sungai Johor (2.60, warning), Sungai Tebrau (6.8, alert) and Sungai Plentong (1.3, alert). The water reading at Bekok Dam in Batu Pahat is now at 18.57 metres (1.07 metre above the danger level), Sembrong Dam at 12.16 (above the warning level of 0.16 metre) and Machap Dam at 17.19 metres (above the danger level of 0.19 metre). Meanwhile, the flood situation in Pahang and Melaka has improved with a lesser number of victims at evacuation centres.
In PAHANG, the number of people who are taking refuge at 16 relief centres in two districts in the state has dropped to 1,267 from 2,085 people last night. A spokesman of the Pahang Police Contingent Headquarters flood operations room said as at 8 am today, 447 people were being sheltered at 10 evacuation centres in Rompin district. In Pekan, the number of evacuees at six relief centres in the district had dropped to 820 as against 1,557 people last night, he said. In MELAKA, a spokesman of the state flood operations room said 3,766 people were still staying at seven relief centres in Sungai Rambai, Jasin while 17 people were being accommodated at a relief centre in Melaka Tengah.
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December 27, 2006 12:57 PM Residents In Flood Affected Areas Get Tap Water
MUAR, Dec 27 (Bernama) -- After about a week with no water supply to their homes, disrupted due to the floods, Syarikat Air Johor (SAJ) has managed to channel clean water back to the taps of affected consumers. SAJ chief executive of operations, Ahmad Zahdi Jamil, said residents in the affected areas were able to get clean water supply since yesterday. He said water supply to the affected areas was being rationed according to three zones with residents in
Zone I getting water from 9pm to 5am, Zone 2 (5am to 1pm) and Zone 3 (1pm to 9pm). Zone 1 covers Jalan Jonid, Jalan Khalidi, Jalan Arab, Jalan Bakri, Jalan Dato Hassan, Jalan Daud, Jalan Sulaiman, Jalan Maharani, Jalan Sultanah, Jalan Petri, Jalan Salleh, Jalan Kim Kee, Jalan Ismail, Jalan Bakariah, Jalan Sg Abong, Jalan Haji Abdullah, Jalan Sakeh, Jalan Parit Buaya and Jalan Bukit Pasir.
Zone 2 involves Jalan Jonid Dalam, Jalan Abdul Rahman, Jalan Temenggung Ahmad, Jalan Tengku Bendahara, Kg Kelantan, Taman Arosa and Taman Murni, while
Zone 3 covers Jalan Bukit Mor, Pekan Bukit Mor to Parit No.1, Jalan Yusof, Pekan Baru, Mukim Sri Menanti, Mukim Sg Balang, Jalan Temenggong Ahmad-Parit Kasim to Parit Jawa, Jalan Abdul Rahman (from Parit Jawa-Parit kasim), Jalan Temenggong Ahmad from Pekan Parit Bakar to Parit Sakai, Jalan Parit Bakar Darat, Jalan Datuk Hj Kosai, Jalan Bakri from Pesta to Jalan Sri Tanjung, Simpang Jeram, Kg Jeram Tengah to Jalan Sg Abong, Jalan Bukit Pasir, Jorak, Jalan Parit Kadir and Sungai Terap.
"SAJ is working hard to ensure residents are able to get back their normal water supply and we know that many are unhappy with the disruption. It happened because our treatment plants were submerged in the flood," Ahmad Zahdi said. He said 144 million litres of clean water were produced in Muar daily and among the plants currently in operation were the Panchur 2, 3, 4, Ledang and Gombang. He added that the water treatment plants at Gerisik, Panchur 1 and Bukit were still inoperational due to the failure of the TNB sub-station to generate power to the affected plants. For enquiries, he advised the public to call toll-free 1-800-88-7474 or the Muar Municipal Council operations room at 06-9525451.
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December 26, 2006 23:52 PM
Floods In Johor Worsen, Five Relief Centres Reopen
FLOOD VICTIMS… Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (left) talks with the evacuees from Kampung Melayu Parit Sulong while visiting at the relief centre. Pix: Md Mudanoran.
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 26 (Bernama) -- After a general improvement in the last three days, the situation in flood stricken areas in Kota Tinggi and Johor Baharu took a turn for the worse again following intermittent rain since Monday night. Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) had to shut down electricity in Kota Tinggi District as flood waters rose from 0.3m to 0.6m Tuesday night.
A spokesman from the Johor Police Flood Relief Centre said relief centres were reopened at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Pu Sze, Sengkang Hall, Kampung Lorong Arif Jamek Mosque, Sekolah Agama Cahaya Masai and Kampung Bukit Pulai Hall. He said Kampung Laut, Batu 10 Skudai in Johor Baharu was inundated again with floodwater rising to chest level causing 700 residents to be evacuated to Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Pu Sze and another 200 to Kampung Lorong Arif Jamek Mosque, Skudai.
The total number of people evacuated in Johor as at 8 pm Tuesday night was 56,877, of which 1,208 were in Johor Baharu, Batu Pahat (24,315), Muar (20,344), Kota Tinggi (5,756), Segamat (3,813), Pontian (381), Mersing (694) and Kluang (366), he said. The spokesman said that Jalan Kota Tinggi-Mersing at Km12 to Mawai was open to heavy vehicles while light vehicles could use Jalan Kota Tinggi-Desaru to go to Mersing via Felda Sungai Mas. In Segamat, Jalan Batu 7 Segamat-Tangkak and Jalan Segamat-Gemas is closed to traffic while the stretches of roads closed in Muar are Km3 and Km7 Jalan Pagoh-Lenga, Jalan Bukit Kepong-Labis, Jalan Pagoh-Panchor, Batu 5 Jalan Sungai Mati-Muar and Jalan Muar-Tangkak at Pekan Layang.
In Batu Pahat several roads in Seri Medan were inaccessible namely Jalan Sungai Parit Sikun, Parit Terus and Jalan Seri Pasir. Jalan Muar-Yong Peng-Parit Sulong is impassable to traffic as it is under 0.5m of water. Jalan Tongkang Pecah-Parit Jalil, Batu 5 Yong Peng-Parit Sulong and Jalan Parit Karjo-Senggarang are impassable to traffic while Parit Sulong is cut off from other areas as flood waters rose to 0.3m, said the spokesman. He said the death toll in the state was still eight while rescuers made a frantic search for the missing supermarket helper Mohd Lokman Zakaria, 17, who was reported missing on the third day of the flood. For the victims, the assistance given by government agencies and non-government organisations had eased their burden in coping up with the floods in the last nine days.
The announcement by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak that 33,000 students who were affected by the floods would receive financial aid to buy school uniforms and stationery was a welcome relief to the victims. Najib who is also the National Disaster Management and Aid Committee Chairman said primary school students would receive RM100 each while secondary school students RM200 each. The aid will be given before school reopens on Jan 3, he told reporters after visiting a flood relief centre at Sekolah Menengah Datuk Sulaiman, Parit Sulong, Batu Pahat, Johor. In PAHANG, the number of flood victims seeking shelter at 16 relief centres in Rompin and Pekan districts as at 8 pm dropped to 2,085 compared to 2,699 Tuesday afternoon. In MELAKA, the number of flood victims at relief centres dropped to 3,756 at 8 pm against 4,047 Tuesday afternoon.= = = = = == =
December 26, 2006 21:59 PM
Flood Victims Told To Be Hygienic To Prevent Outbreak Of DiseasesANTI-
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 26 (Bernama) -- The Health Ministry, Tuesday advised flood victims who have returned home to maintain hygiene and remove water clogging in their houses and compound as they can be breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes. Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said if they did not do anything about it there could be an outbreak of dengue fever in the flood stricken areas in three weeks' time.
So far the ministry has not received any report on the outbreak of contagious diseases such as dengue fever, typhoid and cholera in the flood hit states of Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Pahang. "There is no major problem encountered in the affected states as the hospitals are equipped with the medicines and sufficient personnel to deal with the situation," he told reporters after visiting Sungai Buloh Hospital here Tuesday. "What is important is that the people look after the cleanliness, hygienic and sanitation," he said, adding that 400 health teams were deployed to provide medical care at relief centres in the four states. On his visit, he said Sungai Buloh Hospital was one of the four hospitals built in the Klang Valley in the last 10 years to ease the burden at Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
The other hospitals are Selayang Hospital, Ampang Hospital and Serdang Hospital. He said each of the hospitals were given specialisation with Sungai Buloh Hospital catering for contagious diseases as well as neuro, plastic and bone surgeries. Selayang Hospital caters for liver and eye ailments, and hand surgery, Serdang Hospital specialises in cardiology and respiratory problems, and Putrajaya Hospital focusing on endocrine and cancer.
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= = = == = = = = =UPDATE:Dec 26 06 19:33pm
New Relief: Claim it:
Secondary School student- RM200 for Books & uniform Allowance
Primary School student - RM100 for Books & uniform allowance
(33,000 students entitled)
(These allowances applied to ALL disasters, clarified Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz
Each family immediate claim - RM200
December 26, 2006 16:13 PM
Govt To Help Flood-hit Students Buy Uniforms, Stationery;BATU PAHAT, Dec 26 (Bernama) -- Students affected by the floods in Johor will receive aid from the federal government to buy uniforms and stationery.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak,(ABOVE) who is also chairman of the National Disaster Committee, said primary school students would receive RM100 each while secondary school students would receive RM200 each. "We will disburse the money as soon as possible before the new school session begins on Jan 3," he told reporters after visiting flood victims at the Sekolah Menengah Datuk Sulaiman relief centre in Parit Sulong here, Tuesday. He said the financial aid to students affected by the floods, was in addition to cash contributions of RM200 for each family, which had been channelled to victims in the state. The Deputy Prime Minister said the District Education Offices had been entrusted with disbursing the assistance to 33,000 second and primary school students affected by the floods.
Also accompanying him on the visit were Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman and senior state and federal government officers. Najib said the government had decided that the new school session would be Jan 3, without any changes. As preparations for the new session, he said, the Works Department and school administrators were directed to clean up their schools which had been turned into flood relief centres. Meanwhile, he was also asked on efforts to restore the Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) substation, which was expected to take three months. "The three months period given by TNB is too long and it should be shortened," he said, adding that, 240 out of 800 substations which were damaged, had been fixed. TNB, said Najib, would shorten the deadline by sourcing all the necessary spare parts immediately. He had also directed TNB to restore electricity immediately to the water plants, to allow residents to receive their water supply which had been cut off due to the floods.
While efforts are being taken to restore electricity to the water plants, the water supply will be sent to residents through lorries owned by companies and government agencies including the Defence Forces, he said. On the national service training programme, Najib said training camps would be opened as usual on Jan 1 except for camps which were flooded. Deputy Prime Minister said, Bakti, the Welfare Association of Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers, had contributed RM100,000 to the Johor state government. His wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, who is also acting president of Bakti, presented the contribution during the visit to the relief centre.
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ABOVE WARNING issued Tuesday, 26 Dec 2006; 10.25 am
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The situation will remain grim in Muar and Batu Pahat and no changes are expected for some time because of upstream water flowing in that direction
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Tuesday December 26, 2006, STAR on Line
Heavy rain in the last 24 hours has caused a second wave of floods to hit Johor Baru. Three relief centres have been opened up to take in more evacuees
= = == = == = =Tuesday December 26, 2006; STAR
Red stage weather warning for Johor and south-east Pahang
KUALA LUMPUR: The Meteorological Department has issued a red stage heavy rain warning over Johor and south-eastern Pahang which is expected to continue until Sunday. The department also issued a yellow stage advisory for Malacca and Negri Sembilan where moderate rain is expected to persist until Friday. Kelantan, Terengganu and the rest of Pahang is also expected to experience moderate rain from Wednesday until Sunday. In its noon weather forecast (available at http://www.kjc.gov.my/english/service/warning/severe.html, the department said heavy rain in the Divisions of Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong, Sarikei, Sibu and Mukah, is expected to occur from Friday until Monday.= = = == == = = =
Floods round-up: Downpour sparks yet another flood alert;
25 Dec 2006; Lee Shi-Ian, NST
KUALA LUMPUR: People in low-lying areas in Mersing, Rompin, Pekan, Kuantan and Maran are bracing for another round of floods as heavy rain fell yesterday afternoon. The rain is expected to continue until Wednesday, according to the Meteorological Department. The alert went out even as the situation in these towns improved following an earlier deluge. The National Security Division (NSD) is monitoring the situation. At present, personnel from the General Operations Force, the army, Civil Defence, police and local authorities are engaged in search, rescue and evacuation efforts. Che Moin Omar, director of the Crisis and Disaster Management Directorate (CDMD), NSD of the Prime Minister’s Department, said they were ready to move in with aid if required. "We are prepared for all contingencies and there is sufficient food, blankets and medicines if these areas require emergency supplies. "At present, Johor is expected to remain at a critical stage for two or three days unless there is no more rain," he said.
"The situation will remain grim in Muar and Batu Pahat and no changes are expected for some time because of upstream water flowing in that direction." It is understood that the NSD has been contacted by welfare authorities in Batu Pahat requesting for additional blankets and mattresses. Che Moin said there were over 40,000 flood victims in Muar and Batu Pahat. There are 281 evacuation centres in Johor with 63,118 flood victims as of 6.30pm yesterday.
The three districts with the highest number of victims are Muar (21,689), Batu Pahat (19,642) and Kota Tinggi (12,490). The situation is however returning to normal in most towns. But Che Moin warned that the situation could change if heavy rain fell. In Malacca, the situation is improving. There are 27 evacuation centres housing 9,128 victims in Alor Gajah, Jasin and Malacca Tengah. In Negri Sembilan, there is one centre with 191 refugees. It is the same in Terengganu with 84 victims staying at one evacuation centre. In Pahang, there are still 2,402 victims in 15 centres. On complaints of lack of blankets and drinking water, Che Moin said the CDMD was doing everything to supply basic necessities to those who were stranded.
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December 26, 2006 16:28 PM
New Policy To Tackle Disasters Soon
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 26 (Bernama) -- The government will draw up a new policy on natural disasters to reduce the dangers arising from them, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said Tuesday.
Mohamed Nazri said, the disasters that had taken place were not only caused by natural phenomena, but were also due to man-made problems which must be handled through preventive measures. The new policy was still in the discussion stage, he told reporters after launching the Disaster Awareness Day here today. "We have to sit down immediately (to discuss the policy). We can't wait," he added.
Nazri said the policy would apply the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 which stressed on the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction into development policies, planning and implementation. The framework provided for multi-hazard approach to disaster risk management and was adopted at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction held in January 2005 at Kobe, Hyogo, Japan. The first anniversary celebration of disaster awareness day was held to instil public awareness on the natural disaster, especially of the Dec 26, 2004 tsunami in the Asia Pacific region.
== = = = = = = = December 26, 2006 16:13 PM
Govt To Help Flood-hit Students Buy Uniforms, Stationery
BATU PAHAT, Dec 26 (Bernama) -- Students affected by the floods in Johor will receive aid from the federal government to buy uniforms and stationery. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is also chairman of the National Disaster Committee, said primary school students would receive RM100 each while secondary school students would receive RM200 each. "We will disburse the money as soon as possible before the new school session begins on Jan 3," he told reporters after visiting flood victims at the Sekolah Menengah Datuk Sulaiman relief centre in Parit Sulong here, Tuesday. He said the financial aid to students affected by the floods, was in addition to cash contributions of RM200 for each family, which had been channelled to victims in the state. The Deputy Prime Minister said the District Education Offices had been entrusted with disbursing the assistance to 33,000 second and primary school students affected by the flood
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December 26, 2006 15:19 PM
Rain In Johor And Pahang Expected Until Sunday
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 26 (Bernama) -- The intermittent rain, occasionally heavy, occurring over Johor and south-eastern Pahang is expected to continue until Sunday, according to the Meteorological Department Tuesday. Slight to moderate rain is expected over Melaka and Negeri Sembilan from this afternoon until Friday, it said in a statement.From tomorrow, Kelantan, Terengganu and other areas in Pahang are expected to receive moderate monsoon rain until Sunday.In Sarawak, heavy rain is expected from Friday until Monday in Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong, Sarikei, Sibu and Mukah.= = = == = =
December 26, 2006 14:43 PM
Flood Causes 3,000 Tonnes Of Rubbish In Segamat
SEGAMAT, Dec 26 (Bernama) -- The flood that hit Bandar Segamat last Monday may have caused an estimated 3,000 tonnes of rubbish, Bandar Segamat Member of Parliament Datuk Dr S.Subramaniam said Tuesday. He said cleaning up works for the town and the rest of its residential areas may take up to two weeks to be completed. "The clean up process is on going and we had people from SWM, local council and Jabatan Kerja Raya working together to fasten the works," he said when met here.
SWM or Southern Waste Management Sdn Bhd had been the concessionaire for the solid waste disposal in Johor, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan for over three years. Dr Subramaniam said that besides the local authorities, the 24 local councils had also been given the task to set up and supervise their own private teams of rubbish collectors. These teams with trucks and tractors would go to areas that were affected by the flood to pick up the rubbish there. SWM had also provided the three-tonne Roro bins at six different locations in the town where residents could throw in the rubbish. These Roro bins would be collected as fast as possible by two towers to the dumpsite.
Dr Subramaniam advised the people to stop throwing rubbish into the river but to send them to the actual dumpsite situated at KM4 Lebuhraya Segamat-Kuantan here. On the rubbish that was thrown around the riverside, he said that it would be collected as soon as possible. Other than collecting rubbish, SWM will also be spraying disinfectants around the town to prevent the spread of diseases, he added.
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December 26, 2006 11:50 AM
Flood Situation Improves, 40,593 Evacuees In Johor
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 26 (Bernama) -- The situation in flood-hit states has generally improved this morning, although Johor, the worst affected by the disaster, is still accommodating 40,593 evacuees at its relief centres and several roads are still inaccessible to traffic. A spokesman of the police contingent headquarters flood operations room said the highest number of evacuees were in Batu Pahat with 27,204 people, followed by Kota Tinggi (5,529) and Segamat (3,922). All victims in Johor Baharu have been allowed to return home while in Muar, there are still 1,984 people at the relief centres, followed by Pontian (865), Mersing (618) and Kluang (471).The Segamat-Tangkak road, Segamat-Gemas road, and Yong Peng-Segamat road at Km5 Kampung Lam Lee were still closed to vehicles while all roads to Kota Tinggi were already opened to traffic, the spokesman said.
In Muar, the Pagoh-Lenga road, Bukit Kepong-Labis road, Batu 30 Pagoh-Lenga road, Pagoh-Panchor and Sungai Mati road, are not accessible to traffic. He said overall, the water level in most rivers in Johor were at the alert stage, with Segamat River in Buluh Kasap having a reading of 10.7 metres, Muar River (6.4m), Bekok River (6.6m) and Sembrong River (4.11m). Skudai River in Johor Baharu is at the normal level at 6.29 metres while the Bekok Dam is at the warning level of 8.5m, Empangan Semberong at the danger level (12.05m) and Machap Dam at the warning level, with a reading of 17.2m. So far, eight people have died in the floods in Johor, and efforts to trace Mohamed Lokman Zakaria, 17, a helper at a supermarket in Kota Tinggi district, feared to have drowned, continued this morning.
Meanwhile, in PAHANG, the number of evacuees at 18 relief centres in two districts in Pahang rose to 2,688 from 2,009 last night, with most of them staying near the river where the water level had slightly risen. A spokesman of the Pahang police contingent headquarters said that up till 8am today, 1,146 victims were still placed at 12 relief centres in Rompin and another 1,542 at six relief centres in Pekan. In Melaka, the number of flood victims in 12 relief centres in the state has gone down to 4,200 this morning as against 4,438 last night. A spokesman of the Melaka flood operations room said Jasin accommodated the highest number of evacuees with 3,785 while Melaka Tengah with 415. The weather remained cloudy this morning despite the absence of rain.
