MERSING – Over 1,000 Orang Asli residents in five villages here have been left stranded by floods since Sunday, according to the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa).
Mersing Jakoa officer Nor Faizzi Sulaiman said the land routes to Kg Peta, Kg Punan, and Kg Tewowoh have been cut off by floodwaters up to 1.5m high while the land routes to Kg Orang Asli Tanah Abang and Kg Orang Asli Tanjung Tuan have been under 0.3m of floodwaters since yesterday.
However, he said villagers have enough food supplies, provided by the Mersing Social Welfare Department, to last a week.
“For now, communication between Jakoa and village representatives via WhatsApp is being carried out daily, three times a day. Village headmen or representatives involved will make reports and send photographs of current conditions in their villages.
“If the villagers require supplies or have health emergencies, we will request for help from agencies such as the Fire and Rescue Department and Civil Defence Force,” he said today.
Meanwhile, Endau assemblyman Alwiyah Talib said her team will continue to monitor the flood situation, including in risky locations.
“We hope the situation will improve and return to normal soon. However, we are thankful that we managed to dispatch basic necessities to them before the flood disaster struck.
“Rescue teams such as those from the Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defence Force, Armed Forces, and Disaster Operations Control Centre have also been mobilised to help rescue and evacuate affected residents,” she added. – Bernama, January 5, 2022
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