KOTA KINABALU, Jan 22 — Floods on Sabah’s west coast continued to wreak havoc today, displacing more than 500 families, including 1214 people in Beaufort and 1694 people in Membakut.
Access to Membakut was completely cut off as water levels rose up to nearly 9 metres in the Padas river running through the towns, causing traffic jams to back up for hours along the main road connecting the west coast.
The hardest-hit towns – Membakut and Beaufort — have opened up at least five evacuation centres, with several more on standby to rescue victims whose homes have been submerged under floodwaters.
This is the third time in six months that the state has been severely hit by floods from continuous rain.
Meanwhile, 40 schools were closed as off today due to flooding in the area, with Beaufort being the worst-hit town with 34 schools. In Papar, five schools were affected and in Sipitang, one school.
State education director Datuk Jame Alip said 7,092 students were affected.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman who visited the flood stricken areas today said he was pleased with the effort from government agencies and departments as well as from the private sector and non-governmental organisations in reaching out to the victims during the disaster.
He said overall, flood relief centres have been well-organised and were doing a good job of monitoring the situation but cautioned the people not panic and get information from reliable sources.
State Meteorological Department director Abdul Malek Tusin said the heavy rain, which began Monday, was brought on by northeasterly monsoon from the Philippines.
“It is expected to last until February,” he said. -MM
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