SANDAKAN: Sandakan has seen six cases of fallen trees in just a day, including one that left a man injured after his car was crushed.
The incident that left one injured took place on Monday (Sept 22) at 6.56pm along Jalan Sabah Hotel, when a Perodua Axia was hit by a falling tree. The driver sustained head and facial injuries as well as cuts to both hands from shattered glass, while his passenger was left traumatised.
Both victims were given first aid by Civil Defence Force (APM) personnel at the scene before being sent to Duchess of Kent Hospital.
Earlier at 1.30pm, a decorative tree toppled and blocked two lanes near Padang Golf Sandakan. APM district officer Capt Sulaiman Salama said in a statement that the road was cleared by 3.14pm using chainsaws and other equipment. No one was hurt in the incident.
At 3.57pm, a 25-foot kapok tree came crashing down in Kampung Gas IOI, Batu Sapi, crushing two houses. Five people inside one of the homes escaped unharmed despite the living room, bedrooms, kitchen and bathroom being badly damaged. Three others in a neighbouring house were also uninjured when part of their kitchen roof was destroyed.
The clean-up involved eight APM personnel, supported by police and community representatives. Work was halted at 6.30pm for safety reasons and will resume on Tuesday (Sept 23).
APM also attended to three separate reports of trees obstructing traffic at Jalan Sejati Walk Mile 7, Jalan Kampung Tinusa 1 Mile 7 and Jalan IJM Mile 6. All routes were cleared.
Sulaiman reminded the public to remain cautious when travelling in tree-lined areas during heavy rain and strong winds.
“The current unstable weather could cause more trees to topple and obstruct roads. We urge people to avoid sheltering under trees, billboards or electricity poles, and to stay updated through official channels such as MetMalaysia, local authorities or security agencies,” he said.
He added that emergencies such as fallen trees, broken power lines or road obstructions should be promptly reported via the 999 hotline or to the APM Sandakan district operations centre at 089-672586.
Meteorologists have warned of strong winds over Sabah’s east coast that could last for the next two days, possibly linked to the tail of Typhoon Ragasa, which is currently passing over the Philippines.
This comes after Sabah’s west coast experienced 10 days of incessant rain from Sept 8 to 17.
