Some of the worst flooding in decades is now taking place in Malaysia. So far, more than 160,000 people have been displaced in eight states. Some people have been reported killed by the rising flood waters. The flooding comes on the tenth anniversary – Friday – of the tsunami which killed more than a quarter million people in the southeastern part of Asia.

The Prime Minister of the nation, Najib Razak, was in Hawaii on vacation when news of the flooding reached him. He decided to quickly end his vacation and head back to Malaysia to help direct the rescue efforts. After arriving back in his country, Razak soon announced a relief package of $145 million. It will provide help for flood victims nationwide, and is to be administered by the National Security Council.

Apparently, Razak was in Hawaii playing golf with President Barak Obama and was perceived to be irresponsible. Some of the people of his country quickly got on Facebook and urged him to return home.

The rain in Malaysia is expected to continue for a couple more days. It will also be spreading to regions of the country not yet affected by rain. Other countries in the area have also been affected.

Adding to the problems of flood waters, those fleeing the water also have to deal with no power and no clean water. Power had been cut to 2,318 electrical substations, which eliminated all power to more than 150,000 people. Darkness also has to be tolerated at the relief centers, because they are also without power.

Meteorologists are predicting that the area could get another four inches of rain. This will certainly bring more flooding, and the possibility of landslides.

Another problem the country and nearby nations are experiencing is that rescuers are having difficulty reaching the flood victims. Besides the excess water, parts of roads have been washed away. Strong currents and rising water levels are also preventing vehicles from getting through to some areas.

Although the country is often well-prepared for the monsoon season, this storm turned out to be much worse than anticipated. It ended up requiring much more equipment and supplies than what their actual disaster planning had called for this time around.

One area received an incredible amount of rain. The state of Penang received an entire month’s worth of rain in a single night. This also caused some areas that never experience high water to become flooded. After three days, it is still raining, too, which continues to hamper any rescue efforts.

The country of Sri Lanka has also experienced heavy flooding. 21 people have been reported killed there by flooding or by landslides, and another nine people are missing. As many as 3,000 homes have been destroyed, and around 800,000 people have been displaced.

Many of the residents of Malaysia are having problems getting supplies or being rescued. This was made worse when they saw their prime minister playing golf – seemingly indifferent to their plight.

Some areas have so much water that about all that can be seen is the rooftops sticking out above the water. Many people have lost everything in the flood waters. So far there have not been any reports of disease breaking out in the country.

The flooding could also cause problems for the nation’s primary exports. Rubber and palm oil exports may be hindered by the extensive water which has not only submerged houses, but also some plantations.