THE death toll in floods that have ravaged Penang since yesterday has risen to five.

As of 6pm today, 3,365 flood victims in the state were being housed at evacuation centres in five districts, with the district of Seberang Prai Utara (SPU) said to be the worst hit.

Heavy rains and strong winds, which began at 2pm yesterday, led to what has been described at the worst flooding in the state’s history.

At the State Legislative Assembly recently, the state government reported that Penang saw 119 flash floods from 2013 to October 15 this year, with 21 occuring in this year alone.

The storm, which continued until 5am today, caused the state to come to a standstill, with traffic in dozens of roads in a gridlock and thousands of houses inundated.

Numerous trees were also uprooted, and several areas saw landslides.

Almost all low-lying areas were submerged under between 0.2m and 1m of water.

The floods took the lives of four senior citizens, who drowned, while a Bangladeshi was killed by a falling tree.

The Bangladeshi man’s friend is believed to be still missing.

Penang Fire and Rescue Department liaison officer Mohd Azman Hussin said Seberang Prai Tengah (SPT) recorded the highest number of flood victims, with 1,974 people being sheltered at 25 relief centres, while SPU had 829 evacuees, Seberang Prai Selatan (25), the southwest district (290) and the northeast district (247).

Roads in several areas were heavily congested, including in George Town, Batu Ferringhi and Tanjong Tokong, due to fallen trees, rendering them impassable.

Work to clear the affected roads is ongoing, with police on hand to control traffic.

Rapid Penang, in a statement today, said it had temporarily stopped bus operations due to the floods.

It said 13 bus routes on the island were suspended in Kebun Bunga, Teluk Bahang, Komtar, Pengkalan Weld, Tanjung Bungah, Bukit Bendera, Paya Terubong and Balik Pulau, as well as one route in Seberang Prai, namely the Bukit Mertajam-Taman Pelangi service.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state government would not declare a state of emergency as the situation remained under control.

He said an emergency would be declared by the state government only after consultation with and on the advice of the federal government.

Kedah, meanwhile, has recorded almost 2,000 flood victims, who are seeking shelter at 34 relief centres in the state. – Bernama, November 5, 2017.