Kelantan preps for floodings (Updated)

GEORGE TOWN: Kelantan has made early preparations to face the seasonal moonsoon weather.
State Local Government, Housing, Youth and Sports commitee chairperson Datuk Abdul Fattah Mahmood said the early preparations include deploying shipments of mattresses and food packets to certain relief centers in the state.
In the past, the state would first wait for the floods to occur before rolling out the aid; now they begin preparations beforehand.
At least one center in each of the 45 state constituencies would also be opened in anticipation of possible flash floods, Abdul Fattah said in an interview.
He noted that the state has made the best preparations possible, although there is always the possibility of the unexpected happening; such as when the state was overwhelmed by the 2014 floods which caused massive damages.
Taking a cue from what happened in the northern states including in Penang earlier this month, Fattah said that there was always a need to be prepared.
"It can be severe compared to what was initially forecasted so we need to be on our toes."
Fattah said the state has informed the rescue personnel that the rain is expected to last until Wednesday.
But as of now, there are no indications that Kelantan may be facing another round of serious flooding such as what transpired in 2014.
As of noon today, some 450 people from 129 families were relocated from the districts of Ketereh, Pasir Puteh and Pasir Mas, following continuous rain.
It was also reported that the water levels in the main tributaries have edged up higher over the weekend, with the levels at Sungai Galas in Dabong exceeding the alert level by one metre, while Sungai Golok in Rantau Panjang, has reached the dangerous level of 8.94m.