KOTA KINABALU: Flood victims returning to their damaged homes in Sabah’s interior districts are urgently seeking assistance to rebuild their lives.
Most of them, whose houses now lie in a pile of mud and debris, have lost everything except for the clothes they are wearing.
Their possessions – furniture, electrical appliances, clothes and food – were completely destroyed.
Community leader Rahman Juspak from Kg Lubang Buaya Paitan said that many have turned up at his house to ask whether assistance is coming.
“Most of them are in need of food and drinks, clothes, and other basic necessities, such as dishes, cups, mattresses and footwear,” he said.
Some people have taken to social media to request donations from the public to support these victims, while others have gathered used clothing and other essential items for the victims to collect.
“Let us lend a helping hand to these victims. Everything is gone, and for many of them, they don’t even have food or water.
“They need clothes; children need school essentials,” appealed Paitan villager Sunita Rahman.
Those remaining in temporary relief centres received food and drinks, as this arrangement facilitated easier deliveries by rescue and local agencies to a central location.
Civil Defence officials will be assisting in transporting STPM candidates sitting for the exam out of their villages today, following the Education Department’s call to them for help.
Dozens of candidates have been transported out while immediate mitigation measures are being arranged for schools that cannot operate due to floods.
State education director Datuk Raisin Saidin said schools that remain closed will have to arrange for replacement classes.
Tawau is the latest district to be declared as a disaster zone, while Kota Marudu is no longer on the list, with all its relief centres closed.
A total of 3,266 victims from 1,401 families in Pitas, Paitan and Tawau remain across 70 temporary shelters.
