Rozanna Letiff, Liz Lee

KUALA LUMPUR, (Reuters) – In Malaysia, torrential rains have led to flooding, which has forced more than 11,000 residents from their homes and closed dozens roads. It also disrupted shipping lines, according to authorities.

At a Saturday news conference, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob stated that more than 66,000 members of the army, fire and police departments were mobilized nationwide to assist flood victims.

Malaysia’s annual monsoon season, which runs from October through March, is a time when floods can be expected. The worst of the rains that fell on Friday and Saturday was felt in Selangor, the wealthiest region and the most populous around Kuala Lumpur.

It’s chaotic right now in Selangor… other states would have made preparations earlier for monsoon. However, in Selangor this occurred almost instantly,” Ismail Sabri stated, adding that close to 4,000 residents had been forced from their homes.

Port Klang is the nation’s biggest harbour. Authorities said the flooding had severely disrupted shipping operations. Many roads and highways were also shut down.

Social media videos showed flooding rivers and landslides as well as cars submerged in abandoned streets.

Ashraf Noor Azam (26-year-old Shah Alam resident) said that he didn’t expect the circumstances to become so dire and was forced to abandon his vehicle on the side of the highway.

He tweeted, “After four hours of being stranded and the flood isn’t getting better,” with a link to a video that showed three people walking.

A government website that tracks flood development reports said water levels in eight states and territories of the United States rose to dangerous levels on Saturday.

Meteorological Department advised that heavy rains in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and other states would continue up to Sunday.