Twenty-three people from five families were evacuated to temporary shelters after heavy rains caused flooding in Male' on Tuesday.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said 256 calls for assistance were received till 10:30 am today.
"248 sandbags have been placed to prevent water from entering the houses. 12 houses with sewerage problems have been attended to. 256 calls have been received for assistance," the NDMA said.
The heaviest rainfall in the past 24 hours was recorded in Male' with 89.4 mm of rain.
The Maldives Meteorological Service (Met Office) has issued a yellow alert until 2:00 pm today for areas between Haa Alif atoll and Alif Dhaal atoll.
The Met Office predicts that winds will be between 25 and 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph and very rough seas.
Meanwhile, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu constituted a special task force due to the severe weather and convened its inaugural meeting on Tuesday.
According to the President's Office, the task force was established to assess and address the situation arising from the heavy rains.
The task force meeting at the President's Office focused on the current situation and identified issues that could be addressed promptly in response to the heavy rains.
The members of the task force are:
- Minister of Defence, Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon
- Minister of Homeland Security and Technology, Ali Ihusaan
- Minister of Education, Dr Ismail Shafeeu
- Minister of Health, Dr Abdulla Khaleel
- Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy, Thoriq Ibrahim
- Minister of Cities, Local Government and Public Works, Adam Shareef Umar
- Chief of Staff, the President's Office, Abdulla Fayaz
- Chief of Defence Force, Major General Ibrahim Hilmy
- Commissioner of Police, Ali Shujau
President Muizzu also declared Wednesday as a Government holiday because of the heavy rainfall across the nation.
As a result, schools in Male' and some northern atolls were closed on Wednesday. Government hospitals in the Male' region also closed the OPD services.
The decision follows a record amount of rainfall over the Maldives, resulting in significant flooding across the islands.
