Floods wreak havoc in Malaysia, southern Thailand with over 30 killed, tens of thousands displaced

KOTA BARU, Malaysia (AP) — Severe floods caused by monsoon rains killed more than 30 people and displaced tens of thousands in Malaysia and southern Thailand, officials said Tuesday, with both countries preparing shelters and evacuation plans in anticipation of more heavy rain.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said five days of heavier-than-expected rain that battered the country's east coast last week was equal to the rainfall over the past six months, wreaking havoc in the northeastern state of Kelantan and neighboring Terengganu.

The floods also submerged large tracts of rice fields, causing millions of dollars in losses to farmers, officials said. The heavy downpour also damaged roads, houses and public facilities in Kelantan and other parts of Malaysia. Rescue workers used boats to distribute food to victims trapped in their homes.

“I was awoken around 3 a.m. in the morning. I tried to move my car. I thought the water won't rise this high. However, at 5 a.m. the water rose nonstop, so I was only able to rescue a few things,” laborer Ayob Othman said outside his partially submerged home in Tumpat district in Kelantan.

Another Tumpat villager, Asmah Ibrahim, despaired over how to rebuild her ruined home. “To eat, drink, I have some cash, but to repair this?” she said. "Where can I find 40,000 ringgit ($9,000)?”

Anwar told Parliament on Tuesday that it would cost an estimated 1 billion ringgit ($224 million) to repair infrastructure damaged by the floods. He said the government will consider compensation for those who lost assets.

The rain eased over the weekend, but the Meteorological Department forecast heavy rains later Tuesday. Anwar said the government is bracing for another monsoon surge that is expected to hit on Sunday.

National Disaster Command Center data showed about 85,000 people across seven states remained in schools, community halls and relief centers after they were moved out of their homes due to the floods. This was down from about 150,000 evacuees on Sunday. About 88% of the evacuees are from Kelantan and Terengganu.

At least six people died in Malaysia, while the death toll was higher in southern Thailand.

Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said Tuesday that 25 people perished in floods in the southernmost part of the country in the past week. More than 300,000 households have been affected, with many schools and 98 health facilities forced to close. The health ministry said 34,354 evacuees remained at 491 government shelters on Monday.

Although water levels have receded in several provinces, the department also warned of more heavy rains through Thursday, putting the areas further at risk of flash floods. Authorities prepared shelter, water pumps, evacuation trucks and boats, and put rescue workers on standby to prepare for more downpours.

The floods have affected tourism, with Malaysian officials urging citizens to defer travel plans to southern Thailand, a popular holiday destination.

Jintamas reported from Bangkok.

A resident crosses a road past houses damaged by flood in Tumpat, outskirts of Kota Bahru, Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Residents wade through flood water outside their home in Tumpat, outskirts of Kota Bahru, Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

People use a boat to cross a flooded area in Tumpat, outskirts of Kota Bahru in Kelantan state on the east coast of Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Children wade through flood waters in Tumpat, outskirts of Kota Bahru, Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

People use a boat to cross a flooded area in Tumpat, Tumpat, outskirts of Kota Bahru, Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

People wade through flood waters in Tumpat, outskirts of Kota Bahru, Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

A residents rides a self modified motorcycle through a road covered by flood water in Tumpat, outskirts of Kota Bahru, Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Asmah Ibrahim, 60 years old resident reacts as she stands outside of her house damaged by flood in Tumpat, on the outskirts of Kota Bahru, Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Motorists survey a house damaged by a flood in Tumpat, on the outskirts of Kota Bahru, Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Residents ride on a self modified motorcycle through a road covered by flood water in Tumpat, outskirts of Kota Bahru, Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Children wade through flood water outside their home in Tumpat, outskirts of Kota Bahru, Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Motorists survey the damage caused by a flood in Tumpat, on the outskirts of Kota Bahru in Kelantan state on the east coast of Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Men use a boat at a flooded neighborhood in Tumpat, on the outskirts of Kota Bahru, Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

A man dries items he removed from his flooded house in Tumpat, on the outskirts of Kota Bahru in Kelantan state on the east coast of Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

People remove items from a flooded school in Tumpat, on the outskirts of Kota Bahru, Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

A woman wades through floodwater in Tumpat, on the outskirts of Kota Bahru in Kelantan state on the east coast of Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Men remove items from a school affected by a flood in Tumpat, on the outskirts of Kota Bahru, Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

People wade through the water at a neighborhood affected by a flood in Tumpat, on the outskirts of Kota Bahru, Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

People wade through the water at a neighborhood affected by a flood in Tumpat, on the outskirts of Kota Bahru, Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Motorists survey a road damaged by a flood in Tumpat, on the outskirts of Kota Bahru in Kelantan state on the east coast of Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Men survey the damage caused by a flood in Tumpat, on the outskirts of Kota Bahru in Kelantan state on the east coast of Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

A man sorts items removed from a school affected by a flood in Tumpat, on the outskirts of Kota Bahru, Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

A man removes a chair and a fan from his flooded house in Tumpat, Malaysia, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

NEW YORK (AP) — Kamala Harris “wrote off rural America" during the 2024 presidential campaign and failed to attack Donald Trump with sufficient “negative firepower," according to a long-awaited post-election autopsy released on Thursday by the Democratic National Committee.

The committee's chair, Ken Martin, shared the 192-page report only after facing intense internal pressure from frustrated Democratic operatives concerned with his leadership. Martin had originally promised to release the autopsy, only to keep it under wraps for months because he was concerned it would be a distraction ahead of the midterms as Democrats mobilize to take back control of Congress.

On Tuesday, Martin apologized for his handling of the situation and conceded that the report was withheld because it “was not ready for primetime."

Although the autopsy criticizes Democrats' focus on “identity politics,” it sidesteps some of the most controversial elements of the 2024 campaign. The report does not address former President Joe Biden’s decision to seek reelection, the rushed selection of Harris to replace him on the ticket or the party's acrimonious divide over the war in Gaza.

“I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards,” Martin wrote in an essay on Substack on Thursday. “I don’t endorse what’s in this report, or what’s left out of it. I could not in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it. But transparency is paramount.”

A spokesperson for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The initial reaction from Democratic operatives was a mix of bafflement and anger over Martin's handling of the situation.

“Why not say this in 2024, or bring in more people to finish it, instead of turning this into the dumbest media cycle for 7-8 months?” Democratic strategist Steve Schale wrote on social media.

The postelection report, which was authored by Democratic consultant Paul Rivera, calls for “a renewed focus on the voters of Middle America and the South, who have come to believe they are not included in the Democratic vision of a stronger and more dynamic America for everyone.”

“Millions of Americans are suffering from poor access to healthcare, manufacturing and job losses, and a failing infrastructure, yet continue to be persuaded to vote against their best interests because they do not see themselves reflected in the America of the Democratic Party,” the report says.

The autopsy points to a reduction in support and training for Democratic state parties, voter registration shifts and “a persistent inability or unwillingness to listen to all voters.”

Thursday's release comes as Martin confronts a crisis of confidence among party officials who are increasingly concerned about the health of their political machine barely a year into his term. Some Democratic operatives have had informal discussions about recruiting a new chair, even though most believe that Martin’s job wasn't in serious jeopardy ahead of the midterm elections.

The report found that Harris and her allies failed to focus enough on Trump's negatives, especially his felony convictions. This was part of a broader criticism that Democrats' messaging is too focused on reason and winning arguments, “even in cycles when the electorate is defined by rage.”

“There was a decision in the 2024 Democratic leadership not to engage in negative advertising at the scale required,” the report states. “The Trump campaign and supportive Super PACs went full throttle against Vice President Harris, but there was not sufficient or similar negative firepower directed at Trump by Democrats.”

The report continues: “It was essential to prosecute a more effective case as to why Trump should have been disqualified from ever again taking office. The grounds were there, but the messaging did not make the case.”

Trump's attack on Harris' transgender policies were cited as a key contrast.

Specifically, the report suggested the Democratic nominee was “boxed” in by the Trump campaign's “very effective” ad that highlighted Harris' previous statement of support for taxpayer-funded gender-affirming surgeries for prison inmates.

Democratic pollsters believed that “if the Vice President would not change her position – and she did not – then there was nothing which would have worked as a response," the report said.

The report criticized Harris' outreach to key segments of America while condemning the party's focus on “identity politics.”

“Harris wrote off rural America, assuming urban/suburban margins would compensate. The math doesn’t work,” the report says. “You can’t lose rural areas by overwhelming margins and make it up elsewhere when rural voters are a significant share of the electorate. If Democrats are to reclaim leadership in the Heartland or the South, candidates must perform well in rural turf. Show up, listen, and then do it again.”

The report also references Democrats' underperformance with male voters of color.

“Male voters require direct engagement. The gender gap can be narrowed. Deploy male messengers, address economic concerns, and don’t assume identity politics will hold male voters of color,” it says.

President Donald Trump speaks during an event about loosening a federal refrigerant rule, in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a fireside chat on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

FILE - Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at DNC headquarters, Jan. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)