Heavy rains trigger floods in northern Kota Marudu and Pitas

Disaster zone: Firemen evacuating Kampung Morion residents in Kota Marudu.

KOTA KINABALU: Twenty-two schools in Sabah’s northern Kota Marudu and Pitas districts have been closed as heavy rains overnight triggered floods in low-lying areas and cut off at least five main roads.

Some 145 people from three villages were evacuated to relief centres as floodwaters continued to rise in the two districts.

Sabah Education Department director Datuk Maimunah Suhaibul said about 6,000 primary and secondary school students were affected by the closure.

Among the 12 worst-hit villages were Kampung Taripan, Kampung Morion and Longob, where relief workers moved in to assist trapped families out of their homes to relief centres and community halls.

Hanging on: A fireman taking a child to safety in Kampung Morion.

The five main roads to the villages were cut off and electricity supply was disrupted due to the floods.

Earlier yesterday, state Civil Defence Department director Kol Muliadi Al-Hamdi Ladin told the media that the Sungai Bongon level was at 8.3m, above the 7.9m danger level, while Sungai Bandau was at the danger level of 6m.

He said there had been no evacuation as yet, although a relief centre was opened at Kampung Longob’s mini community hall since 8am.

The situation in Sabah’s central Beluran district had improved with only one village, Kampung Jaya Bakti, reportedly still flooded as water was receding slowly.

As of 4pm, 808 people from 159 families had been evacuated to relief centres. However, since noon, weather conditions had been improving with affected rivers dropping from danger levels recorded earlier.

Seventeen villages in Kota Marudu were affected by the floods.