In Malaysia, the toll of the floods, the worst for several years, increased to fourteen dead and more than 70,000 displaced, Tuesday, December 21. During the weekend, torrential rains caused flooding in several towns and villages, cutting off the main roads.
The richest and most densely populated state of Selangor, which surrounds the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpu – is one of the worst affected regions. Parts of the state capital, Shah Alam, were still underwater on Tuesday. Using boats, soldiers distributed food to people stranded in their homes and government shelters. In a hard-hit Shah Alam neighborhood, an Agence France-Presse (AFP) reporter saw people desperate for food grabbing items from a devastated supermarket.
A first assessment reported seven dead, but it increased Tuesday to fourteen dead: eight in Selangor and six in the eastern state of Pahang, according to the official Bernama news agency. But that number could rise, with many people still missing.
Increase in Covid-19 cases
More than 71,000 people were forced to leave their homes because of the floods, including 41,000 in central Pahang state and 27,000 in Selangor, according to official data. Evacuees are being accommodated in government relief centers, but officials have warned that an increase in Covid-19 cases is to be expected due to overcrowded shelters.
The rain stopped on Monday, allowing residents to return to their devastated homes and recover their belongings. Malaysia suffers from annual flooding during the rainy season, but the weekend floods were the worst since 2014, when more than 100,000 people were forced from their homes. The role of global warming has been pointed out in the worsening of flooding.