MIRI – Emergency food supplies are being deployed by the Welfare Department to interior residents living in 11 badly-flooded localities in Beleru and Tinjar sub-districts within northern Sarawak which are located around 100km inland from Miri.
In its media update, Sarawak Public Communications Unit said that the population centres include Rumah Saba, Rumah Anthony, Rumah David and the schools where pupils are boarding in hostels.
“The food supplies are sourced from Miri. They are sent into the flooded zones using land routes and also rivers,” the unit said.
Flood waters yesterday reached as high as 1.8m in parts of Baram and Marudi districts as the rain continued to lash these interior regions of the state.
Yesterday morning, the state Disaster Management Committee activated the flood relief evacuation centre in Marudi town, as flood victims began fleeing their homes in the surrounding kampungs and longhouses once the water level started rising.
Several dozen families were evacuated to the centre by Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defence Unit and Rela volunteers.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia ground coordinator for Sarawak Jok Jau Evong told The Vibes the floods continue to affect more localities throughout both districts.
“It is good that the authorities are activating the evacuation centre.
“Villagers in settlements along the major rivers and their tributaries are seeing their homes filled with rising waters,” he said.
Jok added that the Sg Baram, Sg Tutoh, Sg Tinjar and its tributaries have burst their banks affecting settlements close by.
Among the badly-hit settlements are Long Bemang, Long Panai, Long Benawa, Long Ekang, Tutoh-Apoh basin, Marudi town, Tinjar and other localities.
Updates from the various fire stations showed that parts of Baram are seeing the floods reach the 1.8m mark above normal river level.
Longhouses and schools are still flooded now, said the Bomba reports. – The Vibes, January 31, 2022
