PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the total number of Northeast Monsoon (MTL) flood victims recorded since Nov 5 in the nine affected states - 235,706 people from 68,868 families - is the highest since the major floods that hit the country during the 2014/2015 MTL.

Anwar also expressed his concern over the possibility of a second wave of floods, especially in the states that were recently affected.

He said that, so far, the flood situation in Kelantan and Terengganu had improved a little while that in several areas in Johor and Pahang showed a rising trend.

“The worry is (the forecast) by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) of a second wave,” he said at the Ihsan MADANI Fundraising event at Kompleks Seri Perdana today.

Commenting on the latest development in the flood situation, Anwar said that as of 6 am today, a total of 65,991 evacuees from 19,969 families are sheltering at 220 temporary relief centres.

The prime minister added that the Ihsan MADANI Squad, comprising civil service volunteers from various ministries and agencies, will be mobilised to assist in the post-disaster rehabilitation phase.

The squad, headed by Chief Secretary to the GovernmentTan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, will be coordinated by the Public Service Department (JPA) in collaboration with the Prime Minister’s Department, National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) and the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM).