MALAYSIA prepared today for its worst floods in a decade after heavier-than-expected monsoon rains caused severe flooding that killed three people and displaced more than 80,000.

The National Disaster Command Centre online portal said today that 84,597 people, from more than 25,000 families, across seven states were evacuated to 488 temporary shelters. 

The north-eastern state of Kelantan, bordering Thailand, was the worst affected with 56,029 people evacuated from their homes followed by neighbouring Terengganu with 21,264.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Thursday that floods this year were expected to be worse than 2014, when more than 250,000 people were displaced and 21 killed. 

He was quoted by local media as saying that the weather forecast indicated that heavy rainfall next month would likely affect more states.

Nearly 83,000 personnel and thousands of rescue boats, four-wheel vehicles and life jackets as well as 31 helicopters are ready, he said. The government has also identified 8,481 temporary evacuation centres nationwide that can accommodate over two million people, he said.

“Given the severity of the situation, all parties have been mobilised to ensure the safety and welfare of flood victims,” he was quoted as saying by national Bernama news agency.