Perak floods: 54 evacuees home, storm victims still sheltered

Perak floods eased on 20 October, when 54 people from 14 families went home from relief centres, Bernama reported. Another 37 people from 14 families remained at SK Matang after a storm.

The Perak State Disaster Management Committee Secretariat gave the numbers. Floodwaters in Kampung Matang Pasir and Kampung Matang Gelugor had receded.

Here is how the week unfolded, what happened on Pangkor and what the reports leave unclear.

Perak floods: how the week unfolded

A storm hit Larut, Matang and Selama (LMS) on Wednesday, 14 October. It brought heavy rain and strong winds for about an hour, Bernama reported. The wind tore off roofs and brought down trees around Mukim Matang.

The storm damaged more than 35 houses, it said. By 16 October, 55 people from 20 families were at the SK Matang relief centre.

On 17 October, continuous rain flooded Kampung Changkat Ibol, Kampung Batu 9 and Trong. Four more relief centres opened at 8pm, Bernama said. They were SK Changkat Ibol, Dewan Masjid Al Wusta, Dewan Perdana Trong and SK Matang Gelugor.

By 8pm on 18 October, 156 people from 50 families were in LMS centres, Bernama reported. SK Matang Gelugor held 100 people from 29 families, up from 90 from 27 at 4pm.

The figure fell to 54 people from 14 families by 8pm the next day, Bernama said. On 20 October, those evacuees went home, and SK Matang Gelugor emptied by 2pm.

Perak floods on Pangkor and the navy’s response

The Perak floods also hit several areas on Pulau Pangkor on 18 October, Bernama reported. The navy sent 100 personnel from its Lumut base.

The team took three Fast Combat Boats and two rigid-hull inflatable boats. A helicopter stood by. The navy also carried 300 food packs and 425 bottles of mineral water.

Commander Abdul Manan Mazlan, the navy’s chief staff officer for operations, led the mission. The Star carried the same report.

Thick mud covered SK Seri Pangkor, a mosque and homes, and crews had to clean them up, it said.

The Western Fleet Command (MPA Barat) issued the statement. The Star quoted the navy saying all units at the Lumut base remained committed to supporting recovery efforts.

The reports do not say how many people were affected on Pangkor. They also do not say how long the cleanup took.

Who is still sheltering and what is unclear

The 37 people still at SK Matang are storm victims, not flood evacuees. They come from Changkat Baru Matang, Teluk Kertam, Melawati and Hujung Matang.

However, the 20 October report is headlined “Perak Recovers Fully From Floods”. Both groups appear in the same article.

The counts also shift between reports. The storm group was 56 people from 21 families on 18 October. On 19 October, it was 55 from 20 at SK Matang Susulan, and by 20 October it was 37.

Bernama did not explain the changes. The 19 October report also carries an 18 October dateline, so its “8pm” time is unclear.

No report gives rainfall, river levels or damage costs. The 16 October report said the river at Kampung Kubu Hilir rose but did not overflow.