STORY TO BE TOLD

Floods: More evacuees in Johor, situation getting better in Negri

JOHOR BARU: A total of 43,283 people from 10,281 families were still taking shelter at 232 relief centres in Johor as at 8am on Wednesday.

Eighty-four of the relief centres are in Segamat, followed by Ledang (30), Johor Baru (one), Muar (23), Batu Pahat (34), Kluang (29), Pontian (12), Kota Tinggi (18) and Mersing (one).

The number of victims in Segamat had increased to 21,128 people followed by Ledang with 5,822, Johor Baru (39) Muar (4,759) Batu Pahat (5,090) and Kluang (4,135).

In Malacca, the number of flood victims evacuated to 19 relief centres statewide had also increased to 4,555 people as at 8am, compared with 4,110 recorded at 7pm on Tuesday.

In Kuantan, the number of flood victims increased to 1,941 people on Wednesday morning compared with 1,777 yesterday.

A Pahang police flood operations room spokesman said of the total, 1,778 people were from 222 families in five villages in Rompin.

Several roads in Rompin are also closed to all vehicles, including Jalan Kampung Inoi, Jalan Kampung Baru Bukit Ibam, Sungai Gayong Kedaik bridge and Kampung Lubuk Batu Kota Bahagia bridge.

In Seremban, a flood operations room spokesman said 1,144 victims from 290 families were left at eight relief centres in Tampin, while another 236 victims from 55 families were taking shelters at four relief centres in Jempol.

He said due to the better weather, more relief centres in the two districts were expected be closed later on Wednesday.

Number of flood victims in Johor decreases slightly

PETALING JAYA: After peaking at more than 47,000 victims affected by the floods, the number has dipped slightly as of noon Tuesday.

The total number of victims at the 247 relief centres throughout the state is now 42,019 from 10,009 families.

The weather in Segamat, however, is now clear, causing flood waters to recede and breath new life in the town.

Earlier, at 8am, some 47,838 victims from 11,491 families from districts in Johor were evacuated.

This was a surge from the 29,294 victims evacuated until 4pm on Monday.

As of 8am, Segamat recorded the highest number of people with 19,658 victims from 4,717 families followed by Kluang with 9,594 victims from 2,368 families.

In Segamat, as of 10am on Tuesday, tow trucks could be seen pulling cars out off ditches while excavators work to scrape debris and sand off the busy Jalan Segamat.

The road, which was inaccesible to vehicles, now sees hundreds of residents rushing back to their homes to assess the damage that was caused by the floods.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the Meteorological Department in Kuala Lumpur said Johor could expect fair weather Tuesday compared to three days ago with intermittent rains.

He said the weather was likely to improve within the next two to three days but the department would still maintain its alert yellow level.

In Muar, more villagers in Ledang and here have to be evacuated to relief centres after water levels in Sungai Chohong and Sungai Muar burst their banks on Monday.

The two districts have now recorded a total of 6,315 evacuees from 1,406 families who are placed at 46 relief centres and the number of evacuees is expected to increase later Tuesday.

Muar district officer Mislan Karmani said although the rain had stopped later Monday, water level in Sungai Muar kept rising due to down flow of water from Segamat and Labis.

He said the water level of Sungai Muar in Bukit Kepong recorded at 10am Tuesday was 6.41m, more than double the danger level of 3.04m.

He said according to the Muar Drainage and Irrigation Department, the level was very high and expected the flood to be worse than the floods in 2006.

“We want all residents living along the river to make the necessary preparations if they too have to be evacuated later.

“At the same time, we also urge parents to help look after the children to ensure their safety,” he said during his visit to relief centres in Pagoh, Lenga and Bukit Kepong.

He said the Health Department has sent teams to conduct medical and health checks on the victims and priority was given to the aged and pregnant women.

Meanwhile, in Ledang, the Gementah Segamat road near Km12 and the Chohong Tangkak road were cut-off and motorists have been urged to look for alternative routes.

A spokesperson at the Ledang flood operations centre said the Chohong Tangkak road had started to sink and police closed it for safety reasons.

He said villagers and motorists were advised to use the road to Kampung Lipat Kajang if they wanted to go to Tangkak from Chohong.

According to a Johor flood operations centre spokesperson, roads from Segamat going to Yong Peng can only be reached until Bukit Siput.

“In Segamat, roads have been closed at Jalan Muar-Segamat, Jalan Sungai Penarah at Jalan Muar (KM63), Jalan Johor Baru-Segamat (KM158), Jalan Johor Baru-Seremban(KM196) and Jalan Tangkak-Jasin,” he said.

He said that only heavy vehicles are able to access Jalan Muar-Labis, Jalan Felda Redong, Jalan Gunung, Jalan Johor Baru-Segamat (KM214) and Jalan Johor Baru-Seremban (KM217).

“There was one landslide report at Felda Kemelah, Kampung Sekinchan,” the spokesperson said.

He said in Kota Tinggi, Jalan Kota Tinggi-Mersing, Jalan Mawar- Sungai Mas, Jalan Kota Tinggi-Mersing (KM47), Jalan Kota Kechil, Jalan Lukut Cina, Jalan Pengerang was submerged by floods of 0.2 m.

“Roads at Jalan Kampung Kelantan have been closed and there was a river bank collapse at Jalan Kulai-Kota Tinggi,” he said.

He said in Kluang, roads have been closed at Jalan Kluang-Mersing (KM79-81), Jalan Kluang-Jemaluang. “Jalan Chamih-Sentral Paloh and Jalan Sekolah Kebangsaan-Jalan Layang Layang was submerged by 0.2m.

Meanwhile in Malacca, Bernama reports that the number of flood victims has increased to 4,545 as of 8am, an increase from the 2,889 individuals at 9pm on Monday night.

A spokesperson said Alor Gajah had the highest number of evacuees, which was 2,163 people from 504 families in 10 relief centres.

In Jasin, the number of victims at 14 centres were 1,254 from 309 families while the central Malacca district had 1,128 individuals from 258 families placed seven centres.

The spokesperson added there were no reports of death up to 8am.

Roads that remain closed to all vehicles are Jalan Taman Taman Merdeka, Jalan Angkasa Nuri and Jalan Pasar Borong, all located in Batu Berendam.

In Kuantan, the number of flood victims in Pahang has reduced from 800 to 705 after 95 people from Kampung Pasir Karak in Bentong returned to their homes Tuesday morning.

The remaining victims are now at 18 flood relief centres in Rompin and Raub.

As of 8am, there were 476 victims in Rompin and 229 in Raub.

However, readings taken at four stations show three rivers are above the warning level.

The rivers are Sungai Gayong and Sungai Lubuk Paku in Rompin and Sungai Batu Malim in Raub.

When contacted, state secretary Datuk Seri Muhammad Safian Ismail said there had been extraordinary rainfall in the affected districts for the last 48 hours that resulted in the floods.

“Although more rains are expected in the next 24 hours, we expect the situation will not worsen.

“We are ready to spring into action as preparations has been put in place since November,’’ he said.

He also said staff from related government agencies were on standby although a freeze on their annual leaves had been lifted on Jan 15.

“They must be ready to return to work in any case of emergency,’’ he added.

In Gemas, more than half of the people evacuated during the flood have been able to return to their homes as water levels began to decrease here.

Negri Sembilan disaster relief management committee chairman Datuk Mat Ali Hassan said only 2,393 people remained at relief centres.

“The rain has stopped and people are beginning to make their way back to their homes.

“However, we have opened a few more relief centres as a precautionary measure as there may be rain in the evening and later tonight,” he said.

He added that Jalan Tampin-Gemas through Sungai Kelamah was still inaccessible to vehicles.

Meanwhile, in Sabah the flood situation improved with all evacuees in northern Kota Marudu returning to their homes.

Kota Marudu district officer Luvita Koisun said the remaining 1,484 of the 2,279 evacuees were allowed home as of 8am Tuesday and the water levels Bongon-Kinarun river had returned to normal at 6.5m dropping from its earlier danger level of 8.5m.

“We are having clear skies and the overall situation is improving,” she said.

The situation in landslip-and flood-hit Sandakan was also improving with good weather over the past 24 hours and some 280 evacuees have returned home.

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40,000 evacuated to relief centres as floods hit five states

JOHOR BARU: Floodwaters have cut off communications in several towns in Johor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Pahang and Sabah while nearly 40,000 people were evacuated to relief centres.

So far three people were killed – two were swept away by strong currents while one fell into a pool. Another person is missing.

Thousands of commuters going back to their hometowns for the Chinese New Year holidays were disrupted by floods on trunk roads and a section of the North-South Expressway.

Waterworld: Motorists barging through floodwaters at Kampung Asahan in Jasin, Malacca yesterday. (Inset) Segamat residents crossing flooded railway tracks in front of the Tan Leng Ann Garden housing area at noon yesterday.

KTM Berhad was forced to cancel several intercity train services in Negri Sembilan and Johor.

Rohani Ismail, 51, was killed when the car she was driving was swept away by floodwaters from an oil palm plantation in Cha’ah, Johor at about 7pm.

Aw Yoke Lin, 53, from Taman Pelangi was killed when her four-wheel drive vehicle was swept into a river at Kampung Rahmat, Kulaijaya.

Some 1,426 people from 342 families have been evacuated from their homes in Kulai and have taken refuge at 11 relief centres.

“For the time being, there are sufficient supplies of food, medical aid and shelter for affected residents,” said Kulai MP Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting, adding the situation there was under control.

In Malacca, rescuers recovered the body of security guard Yusry Mohd Yusof, 40, after he fell into a water treatment plant pool at 10am in Kampung Chinchin, Jasin.

In Sabah, farmer Meriting Andi, 52, went missing as he waded a swollen Sungai Samparita in Kota Marudu to rescue his stranded children on the other side of the river bank.

The Prime Minister is expected to visit the flood-prone areas in Johor today.

A total of 29,294 people were evacuated in Johor and were housed in 200 relief centres as at 4pm yesterday, in a repeat of major floods which occurred in 2006.

Segamat has become an “island” after it was cut off by floodwaters. Police said no one can get in or out of Segamat as the roads to Muar, Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur are under water.

A Ledang flood operations centre spokesman said four roads – Jalan Sialang-Tangkak, Jalan Gementah-Segamat, Jalan Simpang Bekoh and a stretch of the North-South Ex­­pressway near Km173 are only accessible to heavy vehicles.

Flash floods were also reported in Lahad Datu, Beluran and certain areas of Pitas, while many rural roads including those in plantations have been cut off by floods, making it difficult for vegetable farmers to send their produce to the main towns.

Negri Sembilan floods: 1,900 victims evacuated

TAMPIN: A total of 1,921 people from four districts in Negri Sembilan were evacuated by Monday as heavy downpour inundated low-lying areas from Sunday.

Tampin District operations room spokesman said the Gemas sub-district and Tampin District had the biggest number of victims with 1,545 people sheltering in 13 evacuation centres.

He said 416 of them took refuge at Sekolah Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kampung Tiong hall (64), Kampung Ladang hall (four), Kampung Londah Mosque (38), Sungai Kelamah Hall (260).

Other evacuation centres are Sekolah Agama Rakyat Felda Jelai 4 which housed 125 victims, Kampung Parit Buluh hall (325), Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bukit Jalor (150), Air Kuning Buddish Temple (25), Sekolah Kebangsaan Ladang (54), Kampung Gedok Mosque, Gemencheh (20), Kampung Sungai Dua Mosque, Gemencheh (35) and Kampung Keru Hilir surau, Repah (29).

In the Jempol District, 235 people from 47 families were evacuated, of which 88 were housed at the Jempol co-curriculum centre, Jelai, Sekolah Kebangsaan Palong 1 (80) and Kampung Baru Rompin hall (24).

Others took refuge at Kampung Datuk Johan hall (20), Sekolah Kebangsaan Rompin (13), Kampung Dusat hall, Air Hitam (six) and Ladang Geddes hall (four).

In the Kuala Pilah District, 77 victims from 18 families were sheltered at Dangi hall, Kuala Pilah Municipal Council hall (51 from 14 families) and Kepis hall (13 from four families).


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Floods disrupt train services to the east and south

KUALA LUMPUR: Heavy rain has disrupted KTM’s intercity services to the east coast and to the south on Monday.

Flooding of the tracks between Bahau, Negri Sembilan (km11.75). Tampin, Negri Sembilan (km510) and Kluang, Johor (km652.25) has led to the cancellation of a number of train services, KTM said in a statement on Monday.

KTM intercity train services affected are as follows:

Ekspres Rakyat No. 1 (Kuala Lumpur Central- Singapore) - Service cancelled

Ekspres Rakyat No. 2 (Singapore- Kuala Lumpur Central) - Service cancelled

Ekspres Sinaran Selatan No. 12 (Singapore- Kuala Lumpur Sentral) - Service cancelled

Ekspres Sinaran Selatan No. 13 (Kuala Lumpur Central-Singapore) - Service cancelled

Ekspres Sinaran No. 14 (Singapore-Kuala Lipis) - Service cancelled

Ekspres Sinaran No. 15 (Kuala Lipis – Singapore) - Service cancelled

Shuttle No. 61 (Gemas- Kluang) - service only available between Kluang – Singapore.

Shuttle No. 64 (Kluang - Gemas)- service only available between Singapore-Kluang.

Services for the central and northern sector are unaffected, for now.

Affected passengers could change their travel date or get a full ticket refund, the statement said.

Sabah floods: 2,084 evacuated in Kota Marudu; more rain ahead
By MUGUNTAN VANAR

KOTA KINABALU: Six days of non-stop storms and rain in northern Sabah has flooded a number of town rain, with the worst hit being Kota Marudu.

The situation there has become critical with 2,084 people from 19 low-lying villages evacuated to 10 relief centres by Monday with no signs of the weather letting up any time soon.

Kota Marudu MP Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili, whop visited victims at evacuation centres, said that all necessary assistance was being provided to the victims and advised people not to take any unnecessary risk during the floods.

Flash floods were reported in Lahad Datu, Beluran and certain areas of Pitas while many rural roads, including those from plantations have been cut off by floods making it difficult for vegetable farmers to send their produce to the main towns.

On Saturday two people Lo Phang, 59, and Santi Muktar, 16, were in killed in landslips at Bandar Ramai in east coast Sandakan while bad weather was also blamed for the deaths of four people who drowned when their boat capsized on Friday near Tabangka island off Sandakan.

Weathermen are forecasting more rain, especially in the northern districts of Kota Marudu, Pitas, Sandakan and Beluran.

Meteorological Department director Abdul Malik Tussin said the bad weather from Jan 25 was due to strong easterly winds hitting Sabah’s north and east coast areas.

The rain and floods are expected to further worsen the soaring prices of seafood and vegetables ahead of Chinese New Year.

Australia floods sweep south, trail of disaster grows

MELBOURNE (Reuters)- Australian floods wreaked fresh havoc on rural communities in the south on Sunday, leaving a trail of destruction across four states, at least 17 dead and the prospect of reconstruction of historic proportions.

As tens of thousands of people in flood-stricken towns and cities in the north worked to clean out their homes and offices, heavy rains and floods meted out fresh disaster in southern Victoria state, the nation's second most populous.

Men use a road sign to push mud off a road after floodwaters receded in the Brisbane suburb of Westend January 14, 2011. (REUTERS/Tim Wimborne)

Four major rivers in Victoria were in full flood, with 43 towns, 3,500 people and 1,400 properties affected. Hundreds of people have evacuated their homes, though no one has been killed so far in that state.

"They had the army in town. They were sandbagging on the west side. It was flowing fairly quickly," Paula Ryan, 40, who runs a mobile coffee van, told Reuters by telephone from Echuca on Sunday as it prepared to be swamped by the Campaspe River.

The floods began in the northern mining state of Queensland last month and have caused billions of dollars in damage from broken infrastructure, lost commodity exports and the paralysis of the state capital, Brisbane, a city of two million.

Queensland has accounted for all deaths so far, though the floods have also hit New South Wales and Tasmania states.

One central bank board member has estimated that the floods, linked by some scientists to global warming and rising sea temperatures, could shave up to 1 percent off economic growth in the December and March quarters, equal to around $A 13 billion. ($12.9 billion).

Victoria's State Emergency Service described flooding in the north of that state as probably its worst since records began, with spokesman Hugo Zoller saying it would continue for days.

Gary Tonkin, 50, who runs an auto-electric business in the Victorian town of Charlton, said the Avoca River was running higher than in historic 1956 floods, inundating his business, his son's home and daughter-in-law's hair salon.

"Three-quarters of the town is still under water. Some of those houses will probably have to be bulldozed. The force of the water was just unbelievable. Every street that the river was running down was just like a torrent," he said.

"It has uprooted fences and a lot of peoples' house fences are washed away. The power came back on half an hour ago. The water is just brown and stinks."

BRISBANE CLEANUP IN FULL SWING

Further north, though, floods waters continued to recede, mainly fine weather prevailed and Brisbane's port reopened in some good news for coal and grain exporters.

Coal mines are working to reopen, with water still needing to be pumped from their pits and rail lines to the coast to be repaired. In New South Wales, completion of the grain harvest has been delayed and crop quality severely downgraded.

Even in Queensland, where the cleanup is in full swing, some communities face new flood fears with the hamlet of Condamine largely evacuated for a second time.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said on Sunday the number of confirmed dead in the state had climbed to 17, but was likely to rise with more than a dozen people still missing.

(Reporting by Chris McCall, Sydney Newsroom +612 6273 2730)

(Editing by Mark Bendeich)

Copyright © 2011 Reuters

Australia flood clean-up starts; risk of more floods
By Ed Davies

BRISBANE, Australia (Reuters) - Australia's third-largest city began cleaning up stinking mud and debris in flood-hit areas on Friday, but whole suburbs remained submerged, smaller towns braced for more inundations and forecasters pointed to a threat of cyclones.

Residents paddle past a flooded house in the Brisbane suburb of Saint Lucia January 13, 2011. Flood water in Australia's third-biggest city peaked below feared catastrophic levels on Thursday but Brisbane and other devastated regions faced years of rebuilding and even the threat of fresh floods. (REUTERS/Mick Tsikas)

Military aircraft and trucks fanned out across Queensland state, ferrying food and clothing over an area the size of South Africa. The state's capital, Brisbane, a city of two million people, was virtually shut down except for the clean-up.

"The effort that we are concentrating on today is emergency response," Queensland state premier Anna Bligh told Australian television, having described Brisbane as like a war zone.

The floods, which began last month, have crippled infrastructure and crucial coal exports in the mining state, killed at least 19 people, with more than 60 missing.

The national weather bureau warned on Friday that above-average cyclone activity was expected to last until March, with a storm in the Coral Sea being closely watched and threatening to bring more rain.

"There is every chance we will still see above average conditions," a Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said, saying that the cyclone season had made a slow start.

Power has been restored to 170,000 homes in Brisbane, but power company Energex said 66,000 homes across southeast Queensland remained without electricity.

As the country's wild summer weather continued, police evacuated communities in neighbouring New South Wales state overnight as flooding threatened the border towns of Boggabilla and Toomelah.

Torrential rain in Victoria state also led to evacuations in Halls Gap and Glenorchy, with a flood peak expected on Friday morning. The town of Beaufort was also under threat with a nearby lake threatening to burst banks, police said.

Similar extreme weather has brought devastation to other parts of the world in recent days with nearly 450 people killed in floods and landslides in Brazil and 23 dead in Sri Lanka.

CITY A STINKING MESS

In the centre of Brisbane, a drop in the swollen Brisbane River left foul-smelling mud covering areas beside the city's cultural centre and Wheel of Brisbane tourist site.

Bligh called for insurers to show compassion and flexibility, amid reports some residents faced difficulty with payouts against a damage bill expected to top A$5 billion, with $1 billion of that to be underwritten by insurers.

"It's not in the interests of anyone in our community, including those companies, to stall or delay recovery," said Bligh, whose disaster handling has won wide praise, reviving ruling Labor's flagging hopes of re-election in the state.

Bligh said many Queenslanders had taken out insurance believing they were covered for floods and were now discovering they were not protected.

The flooding, which started before Christmas, continued in other areas of Queensland, with the 6,000 residents of Goondiwindi southwest of Brisbane facing a record flood.

Aerial views of Brisbane showed a sea of brown with rooftops poking out, but the water was receding.

Boats have had to be used in many areas to reach houses, with sofas and fridges floating in filthy water, and residents with no idea when they can return.

"Nobody told me this would become this serious, this terrible," said Su Liu, a Chinese student studying marketing at the University of Queensland.

She had fled her house near the riverside university on Tuesday as water poured into the second floor of her apartment building and was sheltering in an evacuation centre.

(Additional reporting by Rob Taylor in CANBERRA and Amy Pyett in SYDNEY)

(Editing by Rob Taylor and Mark Bendeich)

Copyright © 2011 Reuters

Brazil flood death toll rises to 482, more feared

TERESOPOLIS, Brazil (Reuters) - Rescue workers dug for survivors on Thursday and struggled to reach areas cut off by floods and landslides that have killed at least 482 people in one of Brazil's deadliest natural disasters in decades.

A local photographer walks under a damaged car after a landslide in Teresopolis January 13, 2011. (REUTERS/Bruno Domingos)

Torrents of mud and water set off by heavy rains left a trail of destruction through the mountainous Serrana region near Rio de Janeiro, toppling houses, buckling roads and burying entire families as they slept.

"It's like an earthquake struck some areas," said Jorge Mario, the mayor of Teresopolis, where more than 200 people were killed and scores more are feared to be dead.

"The death toll is going to climb a lot. There are a lot of people buried who can't get help because rescue teams can't get there," Mario said, adding that three of the town's neighborhoods were destroyed by the flooding.

Hillsides and riverbanks in the area, about 60 miles (100 km) north of Rio, collapsed after the equivalent of a month's rain fell in 24 hours from Tuesday night.

More heavy rain is forecast, complicating rescue efforts and raising the risk of further mudslides.

The homes of rich and poor alike were swept away in and around Teresopolis and other towns, likely causing billions of dollars in damage. But the brunt of the disaster was borne by poorer rural residents in houses built in risky areas without formal planning permission.

The floods have not affected Brazil's main export crops -- soy, sugar cane, oranges and coffee -- but could push up local food prices further as the small Serrana region is an important producer of fruit and vegetables for the Rio area.

Rio, famed for its beaches and Carnival, will co-host soccer's World Cup in 2014 and host the Olympics in 2016.

Rescuers tried to haul residents from raging floodwaters and went through the ruins of homes in search of survivors, often finding only corpses. One success came when a 6-month-old baby was rescued from the rubble of a house, drawing thunderous cheers from residents.

One woman held a dog in the ruins of her house as powerful waters tore at the remaining walls. She grabbed a rope thrown by residents from a nearby rooftop and eventually was pulled to safety, after dropping the dog into the vicious current.

In Nova Friburgo, a rural town first settled by Swiss immigrants, at least 200 people died, local officials said.

President Dilma Rousseff, facing her first major challenge since taking office on Jan. 1, called the disaster a tragedy that could not be blamed only on nature.

"Housing in areas of risk is the rule in Brazil rather than the exception," she said in Rio after flying over the flooded region and visiting Nova Friburgo, where much of the damage was done to homes built precariously at the base of steep hills.

"When there aren't housing policies, where are people who earn no more than twice the minimum wage going to live?"

LINES OF BODIES

Landslides and flash floods are common in much of Brazil, often exposing poor urban planning and a lack of preventive action by authorities.

Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper said it was the worst natural disaster to hit Brazil in four decades.

Raging floodwaters and rivers of mud submerged some houses and left cars crumpled like tin cans. More then 13,500 people were left homeless, authorities said.

Rescue teams had yet to reach several of the worst-hit parts of Teresopolis, including one neighborhood where about 150 houses were believed to have been destroyed.

Dozens of bodies were lined up outside a police station in the city center awaiting identification before being moved to a church, taxi driver Vinicius Bittencourt told Reuters.

"The bodies were there because there is no more space in the morgue," he said. "People are walking in the street crying. I've seen people carrying dead children wrapped in blankets."

At least 39 people also died in Petropolis, a picturesque town nestled in the mountains that served as the summer residence for Brazil's royal family in the 19th century. Another 18 people were killed in nearby Sumidouro.

Firefighters used heavy machinery to remove debris blocking their path to some of the worst-affected areas.

"The situation is critical but we have to advance, we can't stop," said fire department colonel Jose Paulo Miranda.

Rousseff has earmarked 780 million reais ($460 million) in emergency aid for the region. The government said it was sending 210 troops from the National Public Security Force to help identify bodies.

Two navy helicopters are assisting rescue operations and the navy is also sending a mobile field hospital to the area.

(Additional reporting by Eduardo Simoes, Rodrigo Viga Gaier and Pedro Fonseca; Writing by Stuart Grudgings and Todd Benson; Editing by Kieran Murray and John O'Callaghan)

Copyright © 2011 Reuters

Floods pour into Brisbane; 20,000 homes in danger

BRISBANE, Australia (AP): Floodwaters poured into the empty downtown of Australia's third-largest city Wednesday after tearing a deadly path across the northeast, swamping neighborhoods in what could be Brisbane's most devastating floods in a century.

The surging, muddy waters reached the tops of traffic lights in some parts of Brisbane, and the city's mayor said at least 20,000 homes were in danger of being inundated.

At least 22 people have died and more than 40 are missing across Australia's northeastern state of Queensland since drenching rains that began in November sent swollen rivers spilling over their banks, flooding an area larger than France and Germany combined. Brisbane, the state capital with a population of 2 million, is the latest city to face down the waters, and officials expect the death toll to rise.

On Wednesday, Brisbane residents who had spent two days preparing took cover on higher ground while others scrambled to move their prized possessions to the top floors of their homes. Some stacked furniture on their roofs.

The Brisbane River is expected to reach its highest point on Thursday. After days of bad news in which figures were constantly being revised, the Bureau of Meteorology late Wednesday delivered a small and rare positive forecast - the floodwaters would crest about a foot (30 centimeters) lower than earlier thought.

If correct, the new forecast meant the waters would not reach the depth of 1974 floods that swept the city. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said the news was welcome, but of little comfort.

"This is still a major event, the city is much bigger, much more populated and has many parts under flood that didn't even exist in 1974," she said. "We are still looking at an event which will cripple parts of our city."

The dragged-out crisis escalated when a violent storm sent a 26-foot (eight meter), fast-moving torrent - described as an "inland instant tsunami" - crashing through the city of Toowoomba and smaller towns to the west of Brisbane on Monday.

Twelve people were killed in that flash flood. Late Wednesday, Bligh said the number of missing had been revised down to 43.

"This is a truly dire set of circumstances," Prime Minister Julia Gillard said.

The Brisbane River broke its banks on Tuesday and was continuing its rise Wednesday - partly controlled by a huge dam upstream that has had its floodgates opened because it is brimming after weeks of rain across the state.

Water levels were expected to stay at peak levels until at least Saturday, but many people won't be able to access their homes for several days beyond that, Bligh said.

The flooding has transfixed Australia and is shaping up to become the nation's most expensive disaster, with an estimated price tag of at least $5 billion. The relentless waters have shut down Queensland state's crucial coal industry and ruined crops across vast swaths of farmland.

Brisbane's office buildings stood empty Wednesday with the normally bustling central business district transformed into a watery ghost town. Most roads around the city were closed, and people moved about in kayaks, rowboats and even on surfboards. One of the city's sports stadiums, which hosts international rugby games, was flooded with muddy, chest-deep water.

Boats torn from their moorings floated down the rising river along with massive amounts of debris. A popular waterside restaurant's pontoon was swept away by the current and floated downstream. Officials said they would probably have to sink a barge that serves as an entertainment venue, to stop it from breaking free and becoming a floating torpedo.

Officials opened three more evacuation centers on Wednesday, and Newman said there was now room for 16,000 people to take shelter. Officials have urged people to get to higher ground and keep off the streets unless absolutely necessary.

Energex, the city's main power company, said it would switch off electricity to some parts of the city starting Wednesday as a precaution against electrocution.

Almost 70,000 homes were without power across Queensland by Wednesday afternoon, Bligh said.

"I know that this is going to be very difficult for people," Bligh said. "Can I just stress: Electricity and water do not mix. We would have catastrophic situations if we didn't shut down power."

Darren Marchant spent all day moving furniture and other household goods to the top floor of his home, near the river in the low-lying Brisbane suburb of Yeronga, which is expected to be inundated. He and two neighbors watched in awe as dozens of expensive boats and pontoons drifted past.

"We were watching all kinds of debris floating down the river - one of the (neighbor's) pontoons just floated off," he said Wednesday. "It was amazing."

For weeks, the flooding had been a slow-motion disaster, devastating wide swaths of farmland and small towns. On Monday, the crisis took a sudden, violent turn, with a cloudburst sending a raging torrent down the Lockyer Valley west of Brisbane. Houses were washed from their foundations and cars tossed about like bath toys in what Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson described as "an inland instant tsunami."

Hundreds had to be rescued by helicopter Tuesday and emergency vehicles were moving into the worst-hit parts of the valley on Wednesday. Bligh warned that the death toll would likely rise as rescue officials gained access to the devastated areas.

In the Lockyer Valley town of Grantham, entire houses that had been swept off their foundations sat in sodden heaps of jumbled debris. Waters that had submerged a railway bridge receded, exposing an avalanche of twisted wreckage caught in its foundation: furniture, a "for sale" sign, a child's swing set, even a dead cow.

The city of Ipswich, home to about 15,000 people, was swamped Wednesday by the water heading Brisbane's way. By the afternoon, 3,000 properties had been inundated, and 1,100 people had fled to evacuation centers, Mayor Paul Pisasale said. Video from the scene showed horses swimming through the brown waters, pausing to rest their heads on the roof of a house - the only dry spot they could reach.

Steph Stewardson, a graphic designer, said there was an exodus from Brisbane's downtown around lunchtime Tuesday with people streaming out of skyscrapers as the river broke its banks. Stewardson, 40, hopped in her car and crossed the swollen river to collect her dog, Boo, from daycare while waters started covering the boardwalk stretching along its banks.

Stewardson took shelter in her house and plans to stay there - for now.

"I'm about 800 meters (half a mile) from the river on a hill, so I think it's going to be OK," she told The Associated Press.

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Malaysians in Brisbane on edge as floods worsen
By SHARIN SHAIK

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians in Brisbane are on edge as floods continue to worsen in various parts of the city.

Professor Rusdin Laiman of Queensland University of Technology had to leave his home and seek refuge with a fellow Malaysian, who is staying on higher ground in Highgate after his home in Toowong was almost completely submerged in water.

He said the power supply to the Central Business District has been shut off and all roads closed.

“It is devastating, the university is closed, offices are closed, and the situation is expected to get worse.

“There are many Malaysians here who had to leave their homes to live with friends or go to evacuation centres because many suburbs here are flooded,” he said in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

Griffith University student Lidiana Rosli who lives in Robertson says that the town is on standby for evacuation.

“Before this, it did not register with me because I only saw the floods on TV,” “Yesterday, it was terrifying to see the river bank break because I finally came to the realisation of what was happening,” she said in a telephone interview.

According to Lidiana, many people left work early in a panic to stock up on food and by afternoon, the grocery stores were almost completely depleted of stocks.

She is ready for an emergency evacuation however. The nearest evacuation centre from her home - the ANZ Stadium in Nathan -is a 25-minute-walk away.

According to Australia’s Courier Mail, the death toll of the flood has risen to 12 and 67 people are missing so far.

Non-stop rain causes major flooding

KUCHING: Incessant rainfall all through Monday night caused major flooding in low-lying areas here, cutting off access roads to a number of villages and schools as well as causing close to a thousand people to evacuate from their homes.

The first area to experience flooding was low-lying Bau district, affecting a number of villages in the Siniawan, Taiton, Krokong and Opar area.

Continuous rainfall for a period of 10 hours straight also caused two schools in the district, namely SK Suba Buan and SK Jagoi, to cease operation with their access roads inundated.

Family in distress: Mohamad Nizam Bustaman, 34, his daughter Mellie Mohamad Nizam, his wife Nurul Sakinah and son Mohamad Syahriel Mohamad Nizam waddle through a metre of flood water in their kitchen.

Apart from Bau, the other affected areas were Desa Wira and Kampung Sinar Budi in the Batu Kawa area.

The State Operations Room located at Wisma Bapa Malaysia recorded its first distress call from the public at Desa Wira near midnight after continuous heavy downpour from 9pm.

An official told The Star at press time that three evacuation centres, namely Dewan Stapok along Jalan Stephen Yong, Dewan Kampung Sinar Budi and Balai Raya Kampung Sinar Budi, had kicked into action with 169 families comprising 790 flood victims already being given shelter there.

Two tents were also erected at Kampung Batu Kitang and Kampung Sungai Tengah to accommodate 100 evacuees.

She said the Meteorology Services Depart­ment had forecast the heavy rainfall to last till tomorrow and classified Kuching to be in the Orange stage, which indicated a sign of alert.

As such, all ops flood rooms in the state, divisional and district levels had started operating 24 hours since Monday. It is learnt that Sarawak’s 200 over evacuation centres are also on standby mode.

She said that so far, the State Operations Room had not received any reports of flooding in other divisions of the state.

When visiting Batu Kitang yesterday, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan said Kuching recorded more than 300mm of rainfall from midnight, which was almost half of what it usually got in a month.

“Kuching normally gets 600mm to 700mm rainfall in January but since Monday midnight, we have already recorded 300mm,” he told reporters.

Dr Chan, who is the State Disaster Relief Committee chairman, said the rainy weather was far from over as continuous rainfall was expected to occur throughout these few days as heavy north-easterly rain clouds blow inland.

“We see heavy clouds coming from the sea and if that is so, then we are really in trouble. Luckily, the king tide just finished on Monday or it (flood situation) could have been worse.

“Nonetheless, we still have to be prepared ... it does not look too good this year,” he added.

Floods disrupt bus, train and air services to the north
By REENA NATHAN

Many UUM students unable to make it to Sintok, Kedah, for their convocation

PETALING JAYA: Floods in the northern states have disrupted all bus, train and air services.

Buses scheduled to run from Sungai Petani and Alor Setar to areas in the north such as Changloon, Jitra, Kodiang, Arau, Kuala Perlis and Kangar were cancelled Wednesday.

“We can only go as far as Simpang Empat, Simpang Kuala Perlis, which is four kilometres away from Kangar, and from there on, passengers will have to find their own way,” said Supervisor of Kenderaan Langkasuka Ahmad Rejap, adding that the bus services along these routes have yet to be rescheduled.

Buses have been unable to go into those areas since Monday when waters rose.

“We have had to also cancel services to Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) in Sintok, Kedah, and many were unable to make it for the UUM convocation on Tuesday,” said Ahmad.

Transnasional, the leading express bus service in Malaysia, has also cancelled its bus services from Kuala Lumpur to Kangar.

“Passengers will have to get off at Seriap and take alternate means of transport to their final destinations. We are doing all that we can,” said Transnasional Acting Head of Operations Muhammad Saiful, adding that Seriap is about eight to nine kilometres away from Kangar.

Saiful said that, at the moment, there were no passengers stranded in Seriap. He said that the other services from Kuala Lumpur to Alor Setar and Kuala Lumpur to Sungai Petani and back on schedule.

AirAsia also cancelled its Wednesday flights from KL to Alor Setar and back due to the floods.

Flights from Subang to Alor Setar and back via Firefly have also been cancelled.

Passengers could move their flight to another date or request a refund, but it will take up to one month for the money to be refunded, a Firefly spokesman said.

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd(KTMB), had said in a statement on Tuesday that a number of its services to the north have been cancelled.

Kedah and Perlis scramble to send aid to 19,000 hit by floodwaters

A FAMILY mourns the death of a 13-year-old; a 64-year-old German woman is reported missing and some 19,000 lives are turned upside down as the floods in Kedah and Perlis cause devastation.

With road and rail links cut because of the floods, both states scrambled to send aid to stranded victims. In one instance, six men sought refuge on a tree because of the rising waters.

Rescue teams have been sent to the affected areas and steps taken to make sure victims receive all the help they need.

Perlis Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Md Isa Sabu described the floods as “really bad” and its damage worse than the big flood of 2005 when the entire state was flooded.

Desperate for some kind of transportation, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, the Tambun Tulang assemblyman, flagged down tractors, backhoes and lorries to ask for help to ferry the victims out of their houses.

In Kelantan, another RM50,000 worth of basic necessities will be provided to those staying in relief centres after the first RM100,000 worth of items ran out.

Floods: More than 3,000 evacuated in Kedah and Perlis
By EMBUN MAJID and MANJIT KAUR

Continuous rain causes havoc in northern states

ALOR SETAR: More than 3,000 people from some 50 villages in Kedah and Perlis have been evacuated to relief centres as non-stop rain caused havoc in the two states.

The bad weather from Sunday also forced the closure of several roads, including KM10.2 of North-South Expressway in Changlun, causing massive traffic jams on either side of the expressway on Monday.

The stretch was closed since 1pm after it was submerged under two-metre-deep floodwaters.

Signboards were put up to tell motorists plying between Bukit Kayu Hitam and Changlun to use the Changlun-Kuala Perlis highway.

In Kedah, more than 2,000 people from more than 35 villages in two districts in Kedah to been moved to relief centres.

In Perlis, 1,218 people from 17 villages were evacuated to 10 relief centres in the state.

A spokesman of Perlis Welfare Department Flood Operation Centre said that several stretches of roads were also submerged under about two metres of floodwaters, including Jalan Kaki Bukit and Jalan Titi Tinggi.

Drainage and Irrigation Department director of water resources and hydrology Hanafi Mohamad Noor said water from Timah Tasuh Dam was released Monday morning after it reached the maximum level of 30m.


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