Rain and flooding continues in Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: The rainy weather on the east coast of Sabah continues, despite the short sunny interval yesterday .
As of 2pm yesterday, three relief centres were opened at SMK Sri Nangka, Masjid Kampung Bunga and Surau Pengkalan in Tuaran district.
According to the Civil Defence Department, 18 villages in the district and neighbouring areas were affected by rising water levels, with roads to some villages made inaccessible.
The Civil Defence Force said it would continue to monitor the flooded areas and assist in transferring affected villagers to safety. It was unclear how many people were affected.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak, who is Usukan assemblyman, visited the relief centres in Kota Belud district to ensure that assistance was extended smoothly to flood victims.
As of 5pm yesterday, the number of victims from 20 villages placed at Tun Said hall and at SMK Agama Tun Said had increased from 273 to 564.
The town was flooded, but could be driven through by bigger vehicles.
The Fire and Rescue Department reported five landslide occurrences yesterday morning here and in surrounding areas such as Penampang and Tuaran, with two landslides affecting houses.
In Penampang, the first thing on housewife Lily Dompul’s mind, when she heard a deafening sound while still in bed yesterday morning, was that an earthquake had hit.
It turned out that a landslide had occurred, hitting her home at Kampung Kolam Damai, Jalan Kolam Minintod here at 8.30am.
“I was trying to go back to sleep when I heard the sound, which was followed by tremors.
“At first I thought it was an earthquake, but realising it was a landslide, I grabbed my twoyear-old son, who was watching television, and made for the door.
“We were lucky as five minutes later, our house was buried,” said the 33-year-old.
Lily is one of 22 individuals from six families who had to evacuate their homes after five houses were damaged in the landslide.
District fire and rescue station chief Mohd Akramin Sakirun said their team was alerted at 8.37am, and went to the location to assist with the transfer of affected victims to a temporary shelter at the district community hall.
“We are continuing to monitor the village in case of any potential risks,” he said.