(CNN) Rescue efforts are underway in parts of Malaysia after seasonal flooding killed at least four people and displaced more than 40,000.
Among the deaths confirmed by state authorities in Johor on Saturday was a man trapped in a car that was swept away by rising tides.
Footage from rescue workers and volunteers in cities across the southern state showed groups of people stranded on rooftops as their homes disappeared under water.
Images shared by the National Flood Disaster Agency showed rescuers wading to their chests in some areas to rescue people trapped in their homes. A rescue worker was seen carrying a baby to safety in a bucket.
Other images showed flooded roads and forests, and vehicles submerged in muddy water.
An aerial view shows the extent of flooding in the city of Yong Peng in southern Malaysia’s Johor state on March 4, 2023.
Malaysia, like many of its Southeast Asian neighbors, is prone to seasonal flooding. Neighboring Singapore has experienced heavy torrential rains since February.
Malaysia’s worst floods in decades came in 2021, when there were 54 deaths and the army was mobilized. Widespread flooding this year hit eight states and strained emergency services across the country, prompting criticism of the government’s response to the disaster.
The country’s annual monsoon season began in November and people have been evacuating their homes since at least December.
Johor, with a population of 4 million, is Malaysia’s second most populous state and the worst affected by this season’s floods. Tens of thousands of its residents have now relocated to aid centers in schools and community halls, officials said.
Experts at the Malaysian Meteorological Service have warned the wet weather could continue into April.
The city of Kota Tinggi was inundated by flood waters.
Sharing an update from Johor on Sunday after visiting survivors and evacuees, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said flooding was an urgent problem for the country and that the government would speed up climate protection projects.
“This matter (of the floods) cannot be delayed and should be addressed more seriously so that it does not happen again,” he said in a tweet.
Members of the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA), a youth-led political party with a large presence in Johor, advised residents to seek help from rescue organizations and warned against “waiting too long” to evacuate their homes.
“The water levels of the rivers are still high and heavy rains are expected again,” said Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz, the group’s deputy president. “Don’t wait too long when the water level starts to rise. Move to safer areas as quickly as possible.”
“Remember: your life is more valuable than your property,” she added.
Amira said the country urgently needs to address its flooding problems and said it cannot afford to suffer so many disasters “in such a short period of time”.
Pot Phoon Hua, a 61-year-old worker at a local biscuit and coffee factory in the city of Batu Pahat, told CNN it was still raining. He expressed concern about several missing friends and relatives and said the aftermath of the flood would be devastating. “We’re helpless,” Pot said.
“Everyone pitches in, but the weather is too violent. There’s only so much we can do. The government can deploy many teams and workers to help, but at the end of the day, Malaysians are just at the mercy of nature.”