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Disease Threat As Malaysian Flood Second Wave Hits
Kluang, Malaysia, (AFP) Jan 15, 2007 A second wave of flooding in Malaysia's south has forced more than 90,000 people to flee their homes and caused two deaths from water-borne disease, officials and reports said Sunday. The number of people evacuated in Johor state, which borders Singapore, has soared to 94,600, the national flood operations centre said, with more torrential rain forecast to come. This is higher than for the first round of flooding which hit last month and left 18 dead. "More people are being evacuated because the rains have not stopped and we are taking preventive measures to get them out first, before floods submerge their villages," said an officer at the centre, who declined to be named. Rescue teams were using boats to reach remote villages, and power supplies and telecommunications have also been disrupted by the floodwaters. Torrential rains that have battered the region for the past four days show no sign of letting up, and some 355 relief centres have been set up on higher ground to shelter the huge number of displaced people. The Meteorological Department forecast heavy continuous rain in Johor for at least three more days, the official Bernama news agency reported Sunday. The department issued a red alert warning for Johor and parts of central Pahang state. It is the highest of a three-stage warning system, indicating heavy downpours and floods. Health ministry secretary-general Ismail Merican said flood victims now faced the risk of disease, particularly leptospirosis, which is spread via rat, dog and cattle urine. The New Straits Times quoted Abdul Ghani Othman, Johor's chief minister, as saying that two flood evacuees had already died of leptospirosis. "In flood situations things get out of control, especially when it comes to water cleanliness," Ismail told AFP. Thousands of people were already sheltering in flood evacuation centres in Johor after the first round of flooding, which hit late December and forced 90,000 people to evacuate their homes at the peak of the crisis. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said late Friday that the government had not ruled out declaring a state of emergency in Johor if the floods worsened, adding the government would closely monitor and evaluate the situation, Bernama reported.
earlier related report Twenty-one people were recorded dead, nine of them due to landslides in Samar island, while the rest died largely due to flooding elsewhere. Five other people were missing and feared dead from landslides, a capsized boat or swept away by strong waters, the office added. Sixteen people were also injured. About 23,000 people had to flee their homes, with more than 800 houses destroyed by landslides and floods in Samar and Mindanao, the office said. Several roads in Mindanao remained impassable because they had either been washed away or were still covered by high floodwaters, the civil defense office said. Financial assistance and food is being distributed to the victims of the bad weather, the office added. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links A world of storm and tempest Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters When the Earth Quakes A world of storm and tempest
Chemistry of Volcanic Fallout Reveals Secrets of Past Eruptions
San Diego CA (SPX) Jan 08, 2007A team of American and French scientists has developed a method to determine the influence of past volcanic eruptions on climate and the chemistry of the upper atmosphere, and significantly reduce uncertainty in models of future climate change. |
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