KUCHING, Oct 26: It is anticipated that Sarawak will be hit with significant amounts of rainfall between the months of December 2023 and January 2024, which may cause flooding in low-lying and flood-prone areas.
Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) National Weather and Geophysics Operation Centre director Dr Fariza Yunus said the weather changes will occur due to the North-East Monsoon (MTL), which will begin from the middle of next month (November) until March 2024, Bernama reported.
In addition to Sarawak, heavy rain is forecast in Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang from November 2023 to December 2023, as well as Johor from December 2023 to January 2024.
“Continuous heavy rain can cause floods in low-lying and flood-prone areas. The risk of flooding also increases if heavy rain occurs simultaneously with high tides and storm surges,” she said as a guest on Bernama TV’s ‘Malaysia Petang Ini’ programme to discuss the topic of ‘Jangkaan Corak Berisiko Bencana (Expected Patterns of Disaster Risks)’ on Monday (Oct 23), as quoted by the news outlet.
Dr Fariza advised the general public to always be on the lookout for MetMalaysia’s weather warnings so that they can make the necessary preparations, such as storing all important documents in elevated locations and moving to safer locations when instructed by the authorities.
Furthermore, she was quoted by Bernama as saying, “As in previous years, announcements on the MTL will be issued at least three days before it starts.
“We have various mediums (platforms) for such information, including on the MetMalaysia website and television, in addition to announcing it through the radio to ensure those with no internet access will also get the latest information.” — DayakDaily
