KOTA KINABALU – Areas on Sabah’s west coast are flooded following yesterday afternoon’s torrential rain, which left hundreds of drivers stranded in Penampang where many were forced to sleep in their vehicles overnight.
As of 6am this morning, vehicles were still parked on the side of the road near the Sigah roundabout near Donggongon town in Penampang.
The township, which was inundated by water, was also flooded in January last year.
Michael Paul Jack from Tambunan said he spent the night in his Toyota FJ Cruiser with his wife and daughter near the roundabout.
He had driven over 60km to pick up his daughter, who is on a semester break, from the airport last night, but was stranded in Penampang on the way back.
“When we arrived in Penampang around 8pm last night, the road at this roundabout was already flooded.
“The flood had risen so I decided to wait until it receded,” he told The Vibes today.
As flooding wreaks havoc across areas of Sabah's west coast, hundreds of drivers were left stranded in Penampang with many forced to sleep in their vehicles overnight. pic.twitter.com/zUs0PWVD5d
— TheVibes.com (@thevibesnews) October 10, 2022
The Sigah roundabout is a point at which drivers from Tambunan head towards Kota Kinabalu.
Another driver who only wished to be identified as Mohamad Arif said he was from Kota Belud and had pushed his way through the floods in Sepanggar.
But it was in Penampang that he refused to continue his drive to Tambunan.
“I gave up. Not only was the water deep, but the flow was strong,” he said.
As of this morning, around 50 cars were seen parked on the side of the road at the roundabout. The road only became passable at around 10am.
The Vibes also noticed that several cars had become waterlogged by the floods here.
Penampang is a flood-prone area as it is located near the Moyog River basin and floodwaters can rise within several hours of heavy rain.
Meanwhile, the Civil Defence Force rescued five individuals trapped near Donggongon town last night.
It also said 33 individuals have been brought to a relief centre in Penampang, while another 63 are currently at a centre in Putatan. – The Vibes, October 10, 2022
