Brace for more bad weather, DPM tells northerners

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Residents in Penang, Perak and Kedah are bracing themselves for another round of hostile weather following a severe weather warning forecast issued by the meterological department today.
Millions living in Penang, Kedah and Perak have begun to stay indoors following warnings of severe weather and the report has also caught the attention of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who has urged the residents to take precautions.
When visiting flood victims here together with Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, Ahmad Zahid urged the public to heed warnings from the weather authorities in view of the spate of rough weather in the region.
The meteorological department has issued a statement stating that thunderstorms and heavy rains with strong winds are expected in Perlis, Langkawi, Kubang Pasu, Pokok Sena, Kota Setar, Tan, Pendang, Kuala Muda, KUlim and Bandar Baharu in Kedah.
Other areas under the watch zone were Penang and Kerian, Larut Matang, Selama and Manjung in Perak.
Such weather patterns are expected to persist until Tuesday.
Ahmad Zahid said that based on the report made available to him, a second wave could be hitting Perlis, Kedah, Penang and northern Perak later Monday.
"People should prepare for the eventualities of heavy downpours."
Based on the meteorology assessment, Ahmad Zahid said that the rough weather will affect several states from November until February, next year, in what is typically defined as the moonsoon weather where it is usually prone to heavy rains and floods.
"We expect it to shift to the east coast, affecting Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Johor soon," Ahmad Zahid said.
He also said that the Federal goverment and Penang state government have cast aside their political differences to work together to overcome the devastation caused by the floods here.
According to a post on the website of the National Disaster Management Agency, a total of 8,459 victims from 2,184 families have been evacuated from flood-hit areas in Penang and Kedah.
They comprise 6,243 victims from 1,588 families in Penang and 2,216 victims from 596 families in Kedah.
Altogether, 2,348 civilian personnel from various federal agencies are involved in the flood relief work now.
Shahidan called on the public to now heed the warnings issued by the weather authorities, adding that Penang should erect a big display screen to inform people of the change in weather patterns, especially in strategic public areas.