Flash Flood Hit Several Areas In Langkawi Due To A Heavy Downpour
Many houses were affected and several victims were stranded while hiking.
14 areas in four sub-districts of Pulau Langkawi were hit by flash floods due to heavy rain and strong winds on Sunday, 16 October
Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) officer, Captain Ahmad Shahfikri Darus said that Kampung Belanga Pecah and Jalan Penarak in Kuah were affected by the floods.
Ahmad Shahfikri, who is also the Langkawi District Disaster Management Committee secretariat, said other areas were also affected by the flood, and that included:
- Telaga Harbour, Pantai Kok
- Kampung Atas
- Kampung Sungai Melaka
- Fresh Mart Padang Putih
- Padang Matsirat wet market
"For the township of Ayer Hangat, the affected areas include Kampung Kilim, Teluk Yu, Jalan Kelubi, and Bukit Tampoi," Ahmad Shahfikri said in a statement, according to Sinar Harian.
He also added that not just floods, but there were also landslides in the Ulu Melaka and Jalan Gunung Raya districts.
"There were also fallen trees in Kampung Belanga Pecah and Kampung Keda Tok Wang Rendong in the Kuah district as well as Kampung Lubuk Semilang and Kampung Yooi in the Bohor district," he said.
The sudden water surge trapped over 40 hikers at Langkawi's Telaga Tujuh Waterfall
Kedah Fire and Rescue Department director Sayani Saidon said the department received an emergency call at 10.16am and immediately dispatched 13 officers and personnel from the Langkawi Fire and Rescue station to the location.
"When we arrived, we were told that more than 40 hikers, aged 30 to 40, were trapped due to a water surge incident caused by heavy rain this morning," said Sayani on 16 October.
"To enable personnel to cross the river and reach the trapped victims, the team immediately formed a rescue rope. Despite the strong currents, 15 victims have been rescued so far, and the rescue operation is still ongoing."
Firefighters crossing the river using a rope-bound rescue technique to reach the trapped victims.
Image via Sinar Harian
Meanwhile, 37 flood victims have since been relocated to a temporary evacuation centre
Following heavy rain since 4am on the same day, a total of 37 flood victims from 10 families from Kampung Atas in Padang Mat Sirat district were housed in a temporary evacuation centre (PPS) at Dewan Syifa.
According to Ahmad Shahfikri, the evacuation centre opened at around 8am.
"The villagers' houses began to be inundated around 6pm. Several other areas in this district, such as Ayer Hangat and Kuah, were also hit by floods but, so far, no PPS has been opened in these areas as the water levels there had receded,” he said in a statement yesterday via Sinar Harian.
Ahmad Shahfikri assured that they would continue to periodically check the water levels of the main rivers as well as the flood-prone areas.
To prepare for possible floods, here are essentials you can consider before disaster strikes:
Last week, there were sightings of elephant herds leaving in Terengganu, prompting fear of floods among locals:
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