JOHOR BARU: Continuous heavy rain in the wee hours caused several locations around here and Pontian to be flooded, forcing about 20 people to seek shelter at a temporary relief centre.

       Pasir Gudang fire station operation commander Ibrahim Omar said 100 homes were inundated when flash floods hit three villages at Jalan Kampung Masjid, Kampung Bukit Pulai and Kampung Bukit Sentosa following the downpour yesterday morning.

       “The water rose to about a metre due to continuous rain that started around 2am.

       “The Fire and Rescue Department received a distress call at 3.14am and deployed 24 personnel to the location,” he said.

       He said there were no victims as the water subsided soon after.

       Meanwhile, Johor Civil Defence Force (APM) director Kol Kamal Mokhtar said the heavy rain lasted for about six hours, adding that the authorities had opened two temporary relief centres here and another in Pontian.

       “Nineteen people from five families in Kampung Paya Embun have been relocated to the centre at SK Melayu Raya in Pontian,” he said.

       In Sabah, floods hit the Beaufort and Sipitang districts early yesterday following a downpour the day before.

       However, no major evacuations were conducted as at 3pm.

       “There were five families from Kampung Suasa, Lumadan, who were placed at the village community hall there, but none at the main relief centre.

       “Right now, the weather is cloudy and as we anticipate the river water level to continue rising, all relevant agencies are on standby,” Beaufort district officer Abdul Imam Basirun said.

       Meanwhile, in Sipitang, two families of 14 from Kampung Masjid Pantai have been rescued after their homes were flooded.

       Sipitang fire station chief Janil Jaya said the team received a distress call at 6.15am.

       “They have gone to stay with their relatives, but now that the water is receding, we expect them to return home later this evening (yesterday),” he added.

       Sabah’s west coast and interior divisions have been experiencing the wet spell almost every evening since last week, but no major floods have been reported so far.