KUCHING: Repair works on roads that have been damaged by heavy downpour and floods are to start immediately, says Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas.
The Deputy Premier said that the Public Works Department (JKR) has been instructed to carry out the repair works although the full extent of the damage to the Pan Borneo Highway has yet to be determined.
“For example, at Jalan Mambong, almost half of the road has been cut off. We will carry out urgent repairs and continue monitoring affected roads across all divisions,” Bernama quoted him as saying after a visit to the temporary evacuation centre at SJKC Chung Hua Batu Kawa.
He said the safety of hillside residences will be on the next state disaster management committee meeting, which he chairs.
The matter will then be brought to Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg to determine a long-term solution.
“There is a need to assess the conditions of houses in hillside areas, and we hope that the Housing and Local Government Ministry will also look into this matter,” he said.
State Women, Children, and Community Wellbeing Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said that families of landslide victims in Kampung Lereng Bukit in Miri would receive financial assistance and emotional support.
She said the state government would provide RM10,000 in compensation to the next of kin of each individual who perished in the incident.
“This is an immense loss for the families to bear. Under the Welfare Department, we are also providing counsellors to provide emotional support,” she said.
The landslide, which occurred in the wee hours of Wednesday, claimed the lives of 41-year-old Sazarena Arabi, her three children – Irsyad Syairah (16), Nur Rania Syafiqah (11), and Nur Raisya Syahirah (eight) – and their grandmother Fatimah Dawi (71).
