Number of evacuated families more than doubles as floods worsen in Sarawak
KUCHING: The number of families evacuated due to flooding in the state has more than doubled within 24 hours, with 704 seeking shelter in relief centres yesterday, versus 322 on Sunday.
Samarahan Division continues to be the hardest hit, with 1,763 people from 494 families placed in nine evacuation centres – a stark increase from the 542 from 155 families recorded a day earlier.
Serian Division recorded 565 people from 150 families, while Mukah Division has 192 evacuees from 60 families. On a positive note, the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee reported that flooding in Kuching Division has ceased as of yesterday, with all evacuation centres closed as at 4pm and families given the green light to return home.
The committee also reported that heavy rain triggered landslides in three parts of Bau – Tondong, Simpang Sebobok at Jalan Stass, and Kampung Stass.
It said the landslide in Tondong happened around 4pm and resulted in a 20m stretch of the road there to be impassable. The landslide at Simpang Sebobok caused cracks to appear along a 25m stretch of the road, while the one at Kampung Stass happened around 6pm.
SIBU: The situation affecting SK Nanga Selangau, which was forced to close due to flooding, was described as ‘quite normal’ by Tamin assemblyman Christopher Gira.
He said the school – among the 17 f lood- affected schools in the state which had to close yesterday – was inundated by about four feet of water at its walkway and hostel.
“The (flooding) situation is quite normal for SK Nanga Selangau. I think the best solution is to move the school to a new site,” he told The Borneo Post.
Gira added that SK Nanga Kua also faced a similar problem, and he hoped that the Education Ministry would agree to look for new sites to relocate both schools. SK Nanga Selangau has 337 pupils, 24 teachers and 10 nonteaching staff.
Elsewhere in Sibu, sporadic downpours inundated low- lying areas such as Merlin Lane, Hua Khiew Road and Belian Road.