The flood situation in Kedah is improving with the number of evacuees dropping to 28,208 (6,874 families) at 70 relief centres.

Three of the districts hit by the flood, namely Kota Setar, Kubang Pasu and Pokok Sena showed a drop in the number of evacuees while it remained the same in Pendang.

A National Security Council flood operations rooom spokesperson said the number of evacuees in the Kota Setar district dropped to 20,438 (4,928 families) from 21,116 yesterday evening, while in Kubang Pasu 6,550 evacuees from 1,747 families were still at the relief centres and in Pokok Sena, the number was 978 from 137 families as at 8am today.

In Pendang, the number remained at 242 from 62 families.

According to the spokesperson, 44 flood relief centres were still open in Kota Star, 23 in Kubang Pasu, two in Pokok Sena and one in Pendang.

Victims urged to report losses

The Welfare Department has urged flood victims in the affected states to make police report on the losses they suffered in the calamity.

Its director-general Meme Zainal Rashid said this was to allow the department to make an estimate of the losses and provide assistance in a speedy manner.

"I am told that many of them suffered losses, with their household items, including their children's school items, damaged by the flood," he told reporters in Alor Setar after visiting the families of two children who perished in the flood after falling into an irrigation canal in Tanjung Bendahara on Thursday.

The body of one of the children, Nur Irshah Rosli, 9, was found on Friday. The other victim, Nor Irshah Rosli, 9, is still missing.

Meme said the department was currently channelling aid to over 28,200 people in 70 flood evacuation centres in Kedah.

Quit rent exemption proposed

Present were Kedah Umno deputy chief Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah who also handed over donations to the families.

Ahmad Bashah hailed the federal government's move to provide assistance to the flood victims, saying it showed that the government cared for the people.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced yesterday that the government would set up a special committee to manage and provide assistance to the flood victims to help them rebuild their lives after the floods.

Meanwhile, the Kedah Gerakan Youth movement called on the state PAS government to exempt the flood victims from paying their quit rent and land premium for a year.

In a statement, its chief Tan Keng Liang said the move would help ease the burden borne by the victims.

- Bernama