The death toll in Malaysia, the worst in several years, rose to 27 dead on Wednesday, December 22, as residents begin to return to see the damage caused by the disaster and clean up. Torrential rains over the weekend caused flooding in several towns and villages across the Southeast Asian country, cutting off major highways, and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.
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One of the worst affected regions is Selangor, the richest and most densely populated state in the country, which surrounds the capital Kuala Lumpur. Many residents of the state capital, Shah Alam, were trapped in their homes for several days with little to eat before being evacuated by boat in a chaotic operation. “We lost everything, our cars, our house. All is lostExplains Chan Yung, who was evacuated from Shah Alam. “We hope the government will help us“, He told AFP.
“My house is totally damaged, my two cars are broken“Kartik Subramany told AFP. “It’s the worst floods of my lifeHe fled his home as the floodwaters rose, and took refuge in a school for 48 hours before being evacuated with his family to a shelter. “The federal government has miserably let down the population, added the 29-year-old. It has failed in its primary function of protecting and saving lives“.
More than 65,000 evacuations
The death toll has risen to 27 – 20 victims found in Selangor state and 7 in Pahang state (East) – according to Malaysian news agency Bernama, but this toll could increase further.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim called for an investigation into the government’s handling of the flood, which was widely criticized. Poor coordination between government agencies and late deployment of the army “have turned a natural disaster into a human disaster, governance“, He underlined. Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob admitted “weaknessesIn the government’s response, but promised progress going forward.
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Evacuees are being accommodated in government relief centers, but officials have warned that an increase in coronavirus cases linked to crowded shelters is to be expected. The rain stopped on Monday, allowing residents to return to their devastated homes and collect their belongings. “I have been running my business for over 24 years … this has never happened beforeSaid Mohammad Awal, whose cosmetics store on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur was flooded.
Some 65,000 people were evacuated, most of them in Selangor and Pahang states, according to official data revised downward from the previous day. Malaysia suffers from annual flooding during the rainy season, but the weekend floods were the worst since 2014. The role of global warming has been pointed out in the worsening floods.