KINABATANGAN, Jan 24 — Twenty-eight people from eight families including a week-old baby from Pengkalan Bukit Garam here were evacuated to a relief centre nearby after the Kinabatangan River overflowed its banks and inundated their homes.
Malaysian Civil Defence Force (MCDF) Kinabatangan officer, Captain Ahmad Roslan Mohd Kamel said they were evacuated to the Pangkalan Community Centre after floodwaters entered the living rooms of their houses which are located close to the river, despite being built on stilts up to 1.2 metres high.
He said the rise in the water level was sudden as there had been no rain in the area and was due to the heavy flow of water from Sungai Kuamut and Sungai Pinangoh, which are tributaries of the Kinabatangan River.
‘’Monitoring by MCDF and the Kinabatangan Fire and Rescue Department from yesterday (January 23) found a drastic increase in the water level to 9.34 metres compared to the warning level of 9.3 metres. The danger level is 10.3 metres.
‘’This situation affected the residents who built their houses close the river even though they are on stilts up to 1.2 metres from the ground … they voluntarily evacuated,’’ he said in a statement.
Ahmad Roslan said MCDF had supplied food baskets, masks and hand and partition sanitisers for the evacuees’ comfort with the cooperation of the District Disaster Management Committee. — Bernama
