malaysiangBATU PAHAT, March 7 (Bernama) — Johor police will station officers at all main entry points to villages, housing estates and residential areas that are inundated by flood waters to avoid looting when flood victims are shifted to temporary flood relief centres (PPS).
Johor police chief Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said police have received reports that some flood victims who have been shifted to PPS were returning to their residences using small boats to collect things from their houses.
“We will ensure those going into villages are actually people from the said village because we do not want any irresponsible parties to take advantage of the flood situation to start looting houses that have been left behind by flood victims.
“Apart from ensuring the safety of houses when the tenants are shifted to PPS, we will also make sure vehicles parked along road shoulders are not affected by the floods,” he said after visiting three villages by boat, namely Kampung Sekuang, Seri Bengkal and Parit Yaani in Batu Pahat, here today.
However, according to Kamarul Zaman, police have yet to receive any reports from flood victims about looting or things stolen from their premises.
He added that 4,000 police personnel have been mobilised throughout the state of Johor with the assistance of the Civil Defence Forces and other agencies while two police helicopters and two from the Fire and Rescue Department were being used to rescue victims trapped in flood waters as well as to supply essential items to flood victims at PPS since many roads are not passable.
Speaking of the flood situation in Johor, Kamarul Zaman said the number of flood victims at PPS has been dropping and that it was a positive development while the number of villages affected by floods in Johor has also dropped from 500 to 300.
“Despite an improvement in the flood situation, 58 roads remain closed. Our advise to the people is to not try and plough their vehicles through flood waters because nobody can determine the depth of the water in a specific area.
“From a similar incident, a woman who was driving alone had tried to plough through flood waters but her car was swept away and she was found drowned inside her car in Mersing.
In the incident on Monday, a 23-year-old women became the fifth casualty due to floods in Johor.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
