Hundreds of Sabahans stranded after sudden floods

Worrying: An aerial view of Penampang yesterday morning, where floods have left hundreds stranded. — Pic courtesy of PHILIP CHIN

KOTA KINABALU: Villagers around Penampang and Putatan in Sabah are on alert following floods and stormy weather warnings over the next few days.

Hundreds of people were stranded on roads and in coffee shops overnight due to floods that hit Sabah’s west coast since Sunday night.

The affected areas include Penampang, Putatan, Menggatal, Telipok, Kota Kinabalu – from Sulaman to Sepanggar – and Membakut.

Although water levels have receded in Kota Kinabalu, many areas in Penampang and Putatan villages are still flooded.

This remains a worry for victims as, according to meteorological reports, more rain is expected in areas including Sipitang, Tenom, Kuala Penyu, Beaufort, Keningau, Tambunan, the west coast and Kudat, as well as Labuan in the next few days.

There is also a Category One wind and choppy seas warning on Sabah’s west coast, Labuan, from tomorrow to Saturday.

Shelter of Hope operator Adrienne Godfrey Johniu, who started carrying her shelter cats and dogs to higher parts of the home when floods hit, is praying for calmer weather.

“This time, the floods seem to be worse than what I experienced in September last year,” she said, praying that it would not worsen.

Adrienne, who cares for over a hundred cats and dogs, hopes there won’t be more rainfall as she is already struggling financially to feed and care for her strays.

For Wynnie Tiong, she and her family got scared when her father did not return home from dinner on Sunday night.

“We were thinking of calling the police for help, but my mother found my dad at a coffee shop in Donggongon around 10am.

He had taken shelter there just like many others, as he couldn’t drive home due to flooding, and his phone was out of battery.

There were also many vehicles stranded along the roads earlier on.

Residents affected by the floods here and in Tuaran said that while they welcome the implementation of infrastructure projects, they hoped that the contractors involved would comply with the rules and work specifications set to avoid disasters.

A resident of Kampung Ketiau, Putatan, Suit Mahali, 76, said floods had never hit the village, but the situation changed when the Pan Borneo Highway construction project started in a nearby area around two to three years ago.

The government retiree, reported Bernama, said that, based on his observation as a native of the village, the drainage system started to get clogged after the project was implemented, causing water to overflow.

“We believe the Pan Borneo Highway project will benefit the people, but we hope that the parties involved can ensure that this project does not cause flooding,” he said.

As of Sept 5, the Pan Borneo Highway Project in Sabah has reached 65% completion, and the government, through Budget 2023, aims to complete the project by 2024.