Photo: Bernama
KOTA KINABALU: Repair work on roads and structures damaged by the floods in Sabah will be done without having to go through the usual protocol.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who ordered the immediate repairs, said it would be too late if the work had to go through the usual routine.
“We don’t need to go through the usual procedures because this is not like usual damages ... there were floods,” he said here yesterday.
Anwar had earlier visited several affected locations such as Country Heights Apartments in Penampang, Kolopis, Kg Sarapong and the Teachers Training Institute (IPG Gaya).
On the overall disaster victim situation, he was told that assistance was slowly going in, and those affected had food and drinks as well as temporary roofs over their heads.
“Some burden has been lifted off their shoulders,” Anwar said, adding that some funding for disaster relief had been allocated, while more is still being arranged.
Anwar thanked all state and federal agencies as well as responders who had helped flood victims, attended to emergency calls and coordinated efforts during the disaster.
He said the Federal Government would work with the state on other follow-ups in terms of recovery and other matters.
Earlier upon touching down at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport, he was greeted by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, State Secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong and other state leaders and was briefed on the overall situation in Sabah.
State Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya, who met Anwar at the IPG, said nine high-risk locations had been installed with monitoring equipment, including the Penampang-Tambunan road which had partially collapsed.
“Some of these equipment have been vandalised.
“It could be animals that disturbed these things but it could also be humans,” he said, advising people to not vandalise or disturb the rain monitoring equipment.
“We need the equipment to be in working order to alert the authorities if there are any incidents at these locations,” he said.
In giving a roundup of the water and power disruptions as well as the destruction from floods and landslides, Shahelmey said the state Water Department had received more than 800 complaints of water disruptions and had also detected 46 burst pipes.
The Public Works Department recorded at least 10 collapsed roads.
