Malaysia, Thailand brace for more rains after floods kill more than 30

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With tens of thousands already displaced, both countries set up shelters, rescue teams and evacuation plans in anticipation of further downpours.

Published On 3 Dec 2024

Authorities in Thailand and Malaysia are on high alert for more intense rainfall after days of monsoon rains triggered devastating floods that killed dozens of people and displaced tens of thousands.

Officials in both countries said on Tuesday they were setting up shelters and preparing evacuation plans in anticipation of further downpours in the days ahead.

In southern Thailand, at least 25 people died in floods and more than 300,000 households were affected over the past week, according to the country’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. As of Monday, the country’s Ministry of Public Health said, 34,354 evacuees remained at 491 government shelters.

Among the hardest hit provinces were Pattani, Narathiwat, Songkhla and Yala, where the government has deployed rescue teams and designated 50 million baht ($1.45m) in relief per province. The Thai cabinet has also signed off a 9,000 baht ($260) payment per affected family.

Although water levels have receded in several provinces, Thailand expects more heavy rains through Thursday, putting the areas further at risk of flash floods. Authorities prepared shelter, water pumps, evacuation trucks and boats, and put rescue workers on standby to prepare for more downpours.

Rescue workers deliver food rations to people staying in flooded houses in Sateng Nok, Yala Province, Thailand, November 30, 2024, in this picture obtained from social media. Poh Teck Tung Foundation/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.

In Malaysia, five days of ferocious rainfall last week hammered its eastern coast, killing six people and wrecking homes and roads in the northeastern state of Kelantan and neighbouring Terengganu.

Some 91,000 people are still out of their homes, according to the National Disaster Command Center, and the damage is estimated to be worth $224m.

While rain eased over the weekend, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the government braced for heavy rains on Tuesday, followed by another monsoon surge projected for Sunday.

The floods have affected tourism, with Malaysian officials urging citizens to defer travel plans to southern Thailand, a popular holiday destination.

While the two Southeast Asian countries experience annual monsoon rains, scientists say climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely.