After days of rain caused flooding that displaced hundreds and claimed the lives of at least four people, cleaning efforts are underway in certain regions of Malaysia. State news agency Bernama stated that as of Monday morning at 8am (00:00 GMT), about 50,000 individuals have been impacted by the floods. Johor, a state in the south that borders Singapore, took the worst of the damage. People started cleaning up their houses, businesses, and medical facilities once the floods were over, as seen by photos posted on social media showing piles of possessions and furniture on the side of the road.
One of the victims, according to the police, was an old couple who apparently drowned. A family from the village of Yong Peng, one of the most damaged locations, struggled through the murky water outside their home as their kids floated on inner tubes. The 38-year-old Safiee Hassan and his family were able to preserve their refrigerator, sofa, and other electronics. “Other items like our bed, mattress, cupboard are ruined,” he said, according to the AFP. “We used to always prepare for the rainy season in November and December,” Mohd Noor Saad, a 57-year-old native of the town, told the Reporter of news agency. Every family used to have its own boat, but the recent weather changes have caught us off guard. Although flooding is common in Malaysia during the yearly monsoon season (November–March), the country has recently seen a string of devastating floods that scientists attribute to human activities such as urban sprawl, tree cutting, and climate change.
In December 2006, heavy rain isolated the town of Segamat in Johor, and in December 2014, floods in the northeastern provinces affected thousands of people by washing away the primary roadway linking the east and west sides of the nation. In December 2021, 27 people died in floods in Kuala Lumpur, Shah Alam, and Klang, the country’s capital. While efforts to clean up have begun, forecasters in Malaysia have warned that additional precipitation is due in the days ahead.
