MIRI: Agencies and volunteers carrying out urgent food-aid deployment to 13 flood-hit rural settlements in northern Sarawak are facing massive logistic problems.
Their efforts to reach the inundated settlements located in the Ulu Suai sub-district are being hindered by floodwaters that have drowned all roads.
Floodwaters that reach the height of their vehicles’ engines made it impossible for them to pass through.
As of Thursday morning (Jan 18), the food relief deployment had only reached SK Goyang.
Miri Civil Defence chief Capt Mohd Hazle Shah said his teams reached SK Goyang by land and managed to send food to pupils.
“However, the rest of the aid to the flooded settlements in Ulu Suai cannot be delivered due to the high floodwaters that covered the access roads.
“These food supplies have to be sent to the Batu Niah community hall, where they will be transported to flooded settlements with rescue boats,” he said.
The Ulu Suai sub-district is located about 150km south of Miri city.
The agencies involved in food-aid deployment are the Civil Defence Force, Fire and Rescue Department, state welfare authorities, army, Rela and the district-level disaster management committees.
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