Owners of houses ruined during king tide in Sabah to get RM5,000

KOTA KINABALU: Owners of the three houses destroyed by the king tide phenomenon at Tanjung Aru Baru water village here on Thursday (Dec 22) will get RM5,000 to rebuild their homes.

In a statement Saturday (Dec 24), the state Civil Defence Force said that the assistance was from the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) as part of efforts to ease the victims' burden.

Apart from the three houses that collapsed, a four-walkway bridge was also destroyed and 27 houses were damaged in the incident where strong waves coupled with heavy rain battered the water village.

The civil defence force said that a total 210 people from 39 families were evacuated.

Food rations were also distributed to the victims while assistance also poured in from the Zakat Centre, the Sabah Islamic Religious Council (MUIS) and other groups since Friday (Dec 23), the statement said.

A total of 45 people from 14 families remain at two relief centres here.

In Sabah's northern Pitas district, 528 people from 123 families are also at six relief centres after being evacuated from their coastal villages due to the high tide phenomenon.

Some 23 families in the Kota Belud district were also moved to temporary shelters due to floods.

Relief agencies were continuing to remain on the alert as rain is expected through the Christmas holidays.

Meteorologists forecast heavy rains in Sabah's east coast Sandakan, Kinabatangan, Telupid and northern Kudat and Pitas areas over the next 48 hours.

Following Thursday's (Dec 23) high tide and strong waves, Kota Kinabalu City Hall reported that they collected about two tonnes of rubbish that was ashore in the Likas Bay beach area.