KINABATANGAN: Twenty-six villages–12 in Lamag and 14 in Sukau–were affected by floods as of 1pm on Tuesday (Feb 4), said Kinabatangan District Officer Willey Lampaki.
Willey, also the Kinabatangan Disaster Operations Control Centre chairman, attributed the floods to continuous heavy rainfall.
"So far, two temporary relief centres have been opened, one at Sekolah Agama Negeri Pekan Bukit Garam (housing 102 victims) and another at Sekolah Kebangsaan Sukau (housing 38 evacuees),” he said.
He also reminded those in flood-prone areas to always be vigilant and aware of their surroundings, adding that the Malaysian Civil Defence Force will continue to monitor the situation.
One of the flood victims, 28-year-old Maskini Johaini of Kampung Sukau Seberang, said that usually, only her garden area is inundated, but this time, at 10am, their house was flooded, forcing them to evacuate.
"This is the first time this has happened, and this morning, the authorities told us to move to the relief centre for the sake of our children's safety,” said Maskini, who gave birth to her third child just one month ago in January.
She was also quick to thank the authorities for acting swiftly to ensure the safety of all villagers. – Bernama
