Severe floods hit three districts in Johor 753 evacuated

JOHOR – Heavy rainfall in Johor has led to severe flooding in four districts, forcing the evacuation of over 1,600 residents.

The Johor Disaster Management Committee (JPBN) said that as of 2pm on March 20, a total of 1,691 people from 471 families had been placed at 22 temporary relief centres.

“The number has almost doubled from the previous count at 10am, and we expect it to continue increasing due to the ongoing rain.

“Kota Tinggi has become the latest district to be affected, bringing the total number of flood-hit districts to four,” it said in a statement.

The committee added that Johor Bahru remains the worst-hit district, with 674 evacuees, followed by Kota Tinggi (431),Pontian (297) and Kulai (289).

Several schools in Johor have also been affected by the floods, with some experiencing rising water levels and others cut off due to heavy rainfall.

Johor Education and Information Committee chairman Aznan Tamin said that as of 12pm on March 20, 11 schools had become completely inaccessible.

He added that more schools could be activated as temporary relief centres (PPS) later in the day as flood conditions persist.

“Schools in every district have been designated as PPS, and we continuously remind them to stay prepared for evacuees at any time,” he told reporters after visiting the SK Bukit Mutiara PPS.

“We have held multiple discussions with the Johor state and federal governments to ensure these schools are ready to function as relief centres in the event of floods.”

Mr Aznan said that despite the disruptions, the education department was ensuring that lessons continued.

He noted that about 110 students across Johor Bahru, Pontian, and Kulai had been directly affected.

The authorities have warned that the number of flood victims may increase as more reports are updated from affected areas.