TUMPAT, Kelantan: Residents in the Malaysian town of Tumpat were returning to submerged homes and shops as deadly floodwaters began to ease after being inundated by more than a metre of rain in a matter of days, but there were forecasts of more rain to come.
Peninsular Malaysia, particularly its northeastern coast, and southern Thailand have been battered by torrential rains which fuelled floods that killed dozens of people, and damaged homes, transport links, and thousands of acres of rice crops.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the rains were far beyond expectations, with some east coast areas getting more than six months’ worth of rainfall between Nov 26 and Nov 30.
Tumpat and Tanah Merah, towns in Kelantan state close to the Thai border, had about 1,167mm of rain, while Besut town in Terengganu state received 1,761 mm, Anwar told parliament.
“That’s a very high record of rainfall … it’s far beyond expectations,” he said.
Some Tumpat residents have begun returning to submerged homes and shops as floodwaters receded, though authorities remain on guard for a second wave of floods this week.
Many residents found their homes had collapsed, with parts of walls, roofs and broken furniture lying scattered in pools of water.
