Continuous rain caused up to 168 Pontian flood evacuees.
The number of people affected by the flash floods in Pontian has risen to 168 people from 31 households, with two new aid centres opening.
Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Sri Bunian, which accommodates 117 victims from 20 families, and SK Seri Bukit Panjang, which houses 32 individuals from seven families, according to the Pontian District Disaster Management Committee (JPBD) headquarters.
The first relief centre was opened at SK Melayu Raya today to accommodate 19 refugees from four families, and the three villages affected so far are Kampung Seri Segambut, Kampung Jasa Sepakat, and Kampung Bukit Panjang, according to a statement released today. Several houses in Pontian were flooded as a result of continuous heavy rain starting at 5.30 a.m.
JPBD Mersing also announced that a relief centre at Penghulu Mukim Complex opened at 7.30 p.m. yesterday to lodge 31 fire victims from two families.
Two houses in Gersik’s Kampung Gajah Mati were damaged by fire, according to the statement.
Meanwhile, Mersing Fire and Rescue Station Operations commander Assistant Fire Superintendent Mohd Alias Hussin said the fire damaged one property to the tune of 95 percent, while the other was burnt to the tune of 60%.
In a separate statement, he said that after receiving an emergency call at 4.53 p.m. yesterday, 13 firefighters were dispatched to the area.
The firefighting effort completed at 7.39 p.m., according to Mohd Alias, and the cause of the incident is still being investigated.
