Flood Worsening

An aerial view of Kanowit town on Wednesday.
PHOTO: BERNAMA
By Peter Sibon, ET, 14/12/2007

SANTUBONG: The floods in the central region, especially in low lying areas of Sibu, Song and Kanowit are expected to worsen in the next three days as a result of heavy downpour in the catchment areas coupled with the effect of the king tides, said Deputy Chief Minister and Chairman of the State Disaster Relief Management Commitee, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan.He said he would be flying to the affected areas today to assess the situation and the relief required urgently by the affected residents.Speaking to the press after officiating the Senior Officers’ Conference of the Department of Agriculture 2007 at a hotel here yesterday, Dr Chan said the State Government was also ready to provide aid from the Relief Fund for the flood victims.“We are ready to provide whatever necessary assistance. We have seen these things happening before in Kuching and we are prepared,” he said.Dr Chan also hoped that the relevant bodies which were supposed to provide aid to the flood victims would be ever ready to lend a helping hand as well. He also said relief centres should be ever ready to take in flood victims anytime and not prepare things at the last minute.“I would not like to hear them say they don’t have the transportation, like boats at the last minute. This would be very bad,” he added.

Meanwhile, Bernama reported that folks in Sibu, Kanowit and Selangau districts should brace themselves for more floods as the Meteorological Department has forecast more rains in the next few days.“We envisage some more rainy days and floods ahead,” Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew told reporters yesterday.The Sibu MP said the floods were inevitable because the rains, especially in the Rajang River upstream areas, would coincide with the seasonal king tide here until Sunday.Fifty six flood victims from Belian and Merlin Roads were evacuated on Wednesday.Many roads in the town are still under at least 0.3m of water, with the worst affected, the Nibong-Tada Road under 1.5m.In Kanowit town about 60km from here, about 98 per cent of the shophouses are under 0.3m of water while about 12 longhouses had their access roads cut off yesterday morning and 20 people have been evacuated.