KOTA KINABALU: Intermittent heavy rain forced Beaufort, a flood-prone district in southwest Sabah, to reopen its temporary relief centre on Thursday afternoon (Feb 6).
As of 8pm, 48 families, including 149 displaced residents, 74 of them children, from Kampung Suasa were relocated to the Dewan Selagon permanent relief centre.
The Beaufort Fire and Rescue Department, led by Muhammad Noor Haiqal Abdullah, responded to the distress call at 12.22pm, reaching the affected village, some 30km from the station, about an hour later.
They were assisted by other agencies, including the police and the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM).
Meanwhile, Keningau district officer Peter Jonu @ Peter J. Moinjil, who also chairs the District Disaster Management Committee, announced the activation of another temporary relief centre to accommodate the growing number of evacuees.
“The Keningau Community Hall temporary relief centre was activated following an inspection of affected areas and homes deemed unsafe for habitation,” he said in a statement on Thursday (Feb 6).
To date, 77 flood victims from 19 families across two low-lying villages are sheltering at these relief centres, with numbers expected to rise.
In Kinabatangan, another flood-stricken district, evacuee numbers at two relief centres - Sekolah Kebangsaan Sukau and Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Garam - remain at 79 and 174, respectively.
In total, 479 displaced residents from 132 families are currently housed at five relief centres across the three affected districts.
