Ministry to provide more boats for flood evacuation purposes

SIBU: More boats are needed to evacuate flood victims in Selangau, says Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim.

He understood that there were only four boats belonging to Civil Defence Force (APM) and other agencies used for flood evacuation purposes here, and promised that his ministry would provide more boats.

He said that at a press conference held at Sibu Airport prior to leaving for Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

On Wednesday night, he visited Selangau and dropped by SJK Tong Ah, one of the evacuation centres there, accompanied by National Disaster Management Committee (Nadma) directorgeneral Datuk Abd Rashid Harun.

Earlier in the press conference, he said requests for fans at evacuation centres would be looked into immediately.

“We will look into what is lacking and we will help. At SJK Tong Ah and the Selangau District Office, there is no water supply because the supply from Sibu has been disconnected.

“Hopefully, it will be restored by today (yesterday). But I have told the district office to buy water from Sibu or nearby areas so that water can be sent to the flood victims. Nadma will pay.”

He also said that partition tents had arrived in Kuching and would be distributed to the evacuation centres here.

“I have mentioned in Kuching recently about the provision of 4,000 portable tents for flood victims in the state,” he said, adding that Nadma would repair the damaged school toilets.

Shahidan said the state flood management in Selangau has been accorded a five-star rating.

“There is a good flood management practice despite lacking in many things due to disconnected water supply. This, however, has been overcome through provision of bottled water and so on.”

Separately, the State Disaster Management Committee secretariat told a press release yesterday that the four evacuation centres in Selangau area housed a total of 1,028 flood victims.

From the number, 295 were at SK Bukit Arip hall, 311 at SJK Tong Ah hall, 357 at Selangau multi-purpose hall and 65 at Sekuau hall.