King tide victims to get RM5,000 to rebuild houses

KOTA KINABALU: Owners of the three wooden stilt houses destroyed by the king tide phenomenon at Tanjung Aru Baru water village here will get RM5,000 to rebuild their homes.

The state civil defence force said 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, four bridges were also destroyed and 27 houses damaged in the incident on Thursday when strong waves coupled with heavy rains battered the water village.

In its statement yesterday, the agency also said that 210 people from 39 families were evacuated.

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

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

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

Twenty-three families comprising 78 people in Kota Belud district were also moved to a temporary shelter due to floods.

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

Meteorologists yesterday 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 high tide and strong waves, the Kota Kinabalu City Hall reported that they had collected about two tonnes of rubbish washed ashore in the Likas Bay beach area.