COLOMBO, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- A total of 226 residents from 36 households in the Maldivian capital Male have been relocated to temporary shelters due to a severe flood caused by continuous rainfalls, the Maldives' official PSM News said on Saturday, quoting the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The flooding has caused damage to residential and commercial properties as well as vehicles on the streets, PSM reported.
The Maldives National Defense Force has pumped out 30,569 tons of water from Male streets as of Saturday morning to alleviate the flooding, PSM said.
The NDMA received 774 requests for assistance from households and businesses in Male, including support for installing sandbags at the entrances of homes and commercial establishments.
Severe weather conditions were expected to continue across much of the country on Saturday, the Maldives Meteorological Office warned. ■