THERE were still 23,663 people housed in temporary flood shelters in Johor at 8pm, but this number was down by more than 2,000 compared to the 25,983 evacuees at 4pm this evening, authorities said.

The state disaster management committee (SDMC) said eight temporary relief centres had been closed, while there were 88 shelters still operating in Batu Pahat and Segamat.

“Batu Pahat remains the worst hit district with 23,625 evacuees, while Segamat has 38 people still in relief centres,” the SDMC said tonight.

According to the committee, Sungai Bekok at Bekok Dam, Batu Pahat is still above the danger level at 19.24m even though it is showing a falling trend compared to 19.31m in the evening.

The weather is fair in six districts except for Muar, Pontian, Segamat and Batu Pahat, which were reported to be cloudy. – Bernama, March 17, 2023.