KOTA BARU, Jan 5 — The number of flood evacuees in Kelantan dropped to 13,496 from 4,823 families as at 5pm today from 14,132 from 5,046 families in the afternoon.

All of them are housed at 38 relief centres in four districts in the state, said Kelantan Civil Defence Force director Zainuddin Hussin.

The biggest number of evacuees was still in the district of Pasir Mas, at 10,127 from 3,763 families housed at 31 relief centres, followed by Tumpat with 3,308 people from 1,047 families housed at five centres, he said when contacted.

He said 50 people from 12 families were at a relief centre in Kota Bharu and 11 from one family at a centre in Machang.

He also said that all the relief centres in Tanah Merah, Bachok and Pasir Puteh were closed this evening after the floods there receded.  

Zainuddin said the number of evacuees in Pasir Mas was dropping but the number in Tumpat was expected to rise as a swollen Sungai Golok brought the excess water downstream. 

Meanwhile, according to the state government portal, ebanjir.kelantan.gov.my, the level of only Sungai Golok at Rantau Panjang remained above the danger point of nine metres at 5pm. 

The river at that point measured 10.10 metres compared to 10.15 metres in the afternoon.

Sungai Kelantan at the Guillemard Bridge in Tanah Merah measured 13.78 metres compared to 14.09 metres in the afternoon. Its danger level there is 16 metres.

Other major rivers in the state are back to their normal levels. — Bernama