Malaysia floods: Johor sees more than 5,500 evacuees; Sabah almost 6,500

Meanwhile, Sabah has seen more than 6,000 new flood evacuees in just a day.

According to Bernama, 26 flood relief centres were opened as of 8am on Thursday. The districts which recorded a sudden increase of evacuees on Wednesday include Kota Marudu, Kudat and Paitan.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) warned on Wednesday that rainfall is expected to last in several parts of the country, including the Borneo states, until next Monday.

Last month, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is the Central Disaster Management Committee chairman, called for immediate long-term measures to resolve the country’s flood problem, including holistic flood mitigation projects. 

Ahmad Zahid said that such flood management efforts, when completed, could ensure good long-term flood management until 2100.

Floods are an annual phenomenon in Malaysia due to the northeast monsoon that brings heavy rain from November to March.