PORT DICKSON: More flood warning sirens will be put up around Negri Sembilan this year, says Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun (pic).

       He said the state government had decided this last year and the installation would be carried out soon.

       "We will place the sirens in high-risk areas so that the people would know once floodwater reaches dangerous levels.

       "We will have more such stations built this year," he told reporters after a visit to Kg Chuah near here on Monday (Jan 3).

       Asked about claims by residents in Taman Pinggiran Sg Kelamah in Gemas that the siren in their area did not go off during the floods on Sunday (Jan 2), Aminuddin said they probably did not hear it because of the heavy rain.

       "It was similar to what happened in Ampangan the other day when the residents didn't hear the siren although the station was close to their homes.

       "I will ask the Irrigation and Drainage Department to look into this," he said.

       Residents in the housing scheme claimed they could not salvage most of their belongings as they did not hear the siren as floodwaters continued to rise.

       State health exco and Repah assemblyman S. Veerapan had said the authorities warned the residents that the water level was rising and managed to get most of them out.

       Aminuddin said the authorities would also look into the possibility of increasing the volume of the sirens so that residents could hear them even during heavy rain.

       It was learnt that the state currently had 22 flood warning sirens in various districts.

       Separately, Aminuddin said 2,037 individuals from 552 families were putting up at 21 relief centres in four districts in the state as of Monday morning.

       Tampin was the worst-hit district with 1,400 victims from 396 families temporarily housed at 11 centres. The other affected districts were Jempol, Kuala Pilah and Jelebu.