KUALA LUMPUR – Floods hit nine Malaysian states on Nov 29, with Kelantan being the worst hit, and about 103,000 people were forced to flee their homes due to rising waters.

Government figures showed that 74 per cent of the evacuees are from Kelantan, on the east coast, and 19 per cent from Terengganu as at 9pm on Nov 29.

The remaining 7 per cent of those displaced are from the northern states of Perlis, Kedah and Perak, the central state of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan and southern states of Melaka and Johor.

The serious situation has prompted Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to revoke the leave of all Cabinet ministers and deputy ministers as he directed them to focus on flood relief efforts.

“All ministers have been instructed to go to the ground now. Yes, their leave has been frozen,” Datuk Seri Anwar was quoted as saying by The Star.

Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi visited Kelantan and was told by the growing number of evacuees that the deluge is worse than the 2014 “bah kuning” (yellow flood) -- as the water was mixed with a lot of mud -- which displaced more than 200,000 people in Kelantan then.

“I have been informed of a shortage of tents on the ground. I have ordered the National Disaster Management Agency to send tents from the storerooms of other states to Kelantan,” Datuk Seri Zahid, who was accompanied by Kelantan Menteri Besar Nassuruddin Daud, told reporters in Kota Bharu.

Those evacuated are usually sheltered in schools and public halls, and they sleep in small, open tents until the waters recede.

Mr Zahid said Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek was on her way to Kelantan to coordinate with the local authorities to ensure that students who are taking the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia exam – the equivalent of Singapore’s O levels – starting on Dec 2 can be safely transported to the exam halls.

“The army will use trucks to take candidates from remote areas... All headmasters and headmistresses must ensure that no candidate fails to take the test,” Mr Zahid said.

Mr Zahid, who is also chairman of Malaysia’s National Disaster Management Committee, warned on Nov 28 that the worst flooding in a decade is expected over the next few days, raising the spectre of the 2014 “bah kuning”...