KUCHING: People living in low-lying areas in Sarawak should be on the alert for floods, with continuous rain forecast for the next few days, says Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah.
The Deputy Premier said the king tide phenomenon on Friday (Jan 2) and Sunday (Jan 4) could potentially worsen the situation if it coincided with heavy rain.
"We are concerned that if this occurs, many villages and low-lying settlements will be flooded," he told reporters after chairing a state Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) meeting here on Thursday (Jan 1).
Uggah advised the public to be prepared at all times during the current northeast monsoon period due to unpredictable rainfall amounts.
"Sarawak's average rainfall is 5,000mm a year, but last year Bintulu had 900mm in one day.
"Our advice is to get ready, especially those in low-lying areas," he said.
Uggah said all divisional and district disaster management committees had been activated since last month, while the SDMC operations room is open 24 hours to coordinate actions across the state.
He said preparations, including ensuring that temporary evacuation centres (PPS) are clean and provided with sufficient facilities like toilets.
In addition, he said the Welfare Department was on standby with food and basic necessities at its main supply base in Kota Samarahan and mini supply bases elsewhere.
"They also have suppliers in various towns to provide the items needed for evacuees.
"We hope that with this support, at least their stay in the PPS will be more comfortable," he said.
Uggah also said community emergency response teams in remote villages would assist initial evacuation efforts before the arrival of relevant agencies.
He said the teams had been trained by the state Security and Enforcement Unit on the standard operating procedures and required actions.
"The community leaders will mobilise the people to move to safer ground and communicate with us so that we can come in with our support services," he said.
Uggah also reminded flood-affected residents to evacuate when instructed to do so by the authorities.
He said rapidly rising waters could endanger their safety and complicate the evacuation process.
"I appeal to the public and community leaders, please cooperate with these agencies to avoid any unwanted incidents," he said.
Meanwhile, the number of flood victims in Kuching rose to 791 in six PPS at 1pm on Thursday following continuous rain last night.
They comprised 203 victims at Dewan Masyarakat Stapok, 270 at Dewan Kampung Sinar Budi Baru, 41 at Surau Ar-Rahman Kampung Sungai Batu, 52 at Dewan Surau Nurul Najhin Stapok, 205 at Dewan Serbaguna Taman Malihah and 20 at SK Chung Hua Sejijak.
