Malaysians return to devastated homes as floodwaters recede; more rain expected

TUMPAT, Malaysia - Residents in the Malaysian town of Tumpat were returning to submerged homes and shops as deadly floodwaters eased in some areas following the worst floods in decades over the weekend, and more heavy rain was forecast as soon as Tuesday.

Peninsular Malaysia, particularly its northeastern coast, and southern Thailand have been battered by torrential rains which fuelled floods that killed dozens of people, and damaged homes, transport links, and thousands of acres of rice crops.

In Tumpat, a coastal town in Kelantan state near the Thai border, people were able to return to their homes on Monday only to find many had collapsed, with parts of walls, roofs and broken furniture lying scattered in pools of water. 

Muhamad Alim, a 56-year-old shopkeeper whose food store was inundated, recalled fast-rising waters in his home and his grandchildren crying as the flood surged on Saturday night. 

"Electricity was cut off, and there was no water supply. So, we were stuck, sitting there as if we were in the middle of the sea, surrounded by water," he said.

"You could hear the sound of water rushing cutting through the silence of the night." 

Muhamad Alim said he was fortunate that his family was well stocked up on food and was able to remain at home until the waters receded. 

Six people have died in Malaysia and more than 150,000 were evacuated during the height of the floods last week, government data showed. 

In Thailand, the death toll is 25, and more than 300,000 households were still affected, the interior ministry said.

The number of people in temporary shelters in Malaysia fell to just under 95,000 on Tuesday morning, though the authorities remain on guard for a second wave of floods this week. 

Malaysia's Meteorological Department expects a wind convergence to begin on Tuesday, potentially bringing heavy showers, with a monsoon surge to follow on Dec. 8. 

In Thailand, the Meteorological Department warned people in the south of the country to beware of heavy to very heavy rains and possible flash flooding and overflows from Dec. 3-5. REUTERS