Southern Malaysia Floods Leave Thousands Evacuated and a High Death Toll

At least four people were killed and more than 40,000 people fled their homes as torrential rains caused unprecedented floods in Malaysia’s southern state of Johor over the past week.

“We used to always prepare for the rainy season in November and December,” Mohammed Noor Saad, 57, a resident of Yeung Peng town in Johor’s Batu Pahat district, told Reuters on Sunday.

“Every house used to have a boat, but now with the unpredictable weather, it seems like we are not ready and the situation has become chaotic.”

The National Disaster Management Agency said on Saturday that authorities have set up more than 200 relief shelters for people displaced by the floods.

Floods in Malaysia are common during the annual monsoon season between October and March, but this week’s rainfall has left many Johor residents scrambling to find shelter.

Carrying her belongings from her home into the thigh-high water, cafe worker Kubaiba Siam, 54, said she had resigned herself to fending for herself during the floods.

“What can we do? We cannot complain about our fate because everyone is in the same boat here,” she said.

While Johor was worst hit, there were floods in other states that displaced hundreds of people.

The Meteorological Department warned of more rain in the coming days, mostly in the southern states.