KOTA MARUDU: The flood situation here and Sandakan had turned worse with more people being evacuated to temporary relief centres.
Kota Marudu district police chief DSP Mohd Isa Yusof said as of 6pm yesterday, 2,027 people from 448 families had been evacuated to nine temporary relief centres due to the continuous rain since Friday.
The flood hit 16 villages in the district and forced 433 people from 107 families to move to SMK Tandek Community Hall, Morion Community hall (50 people from 17 families), Rasak Laut Community Hall (188 people from 48 families), SK Bengkongan (207 people from 60 families), SK Taratipan (220 people from 67 families), KPD Timbang Batu (170 people from 36 families), Dewan Belia Damai (64 people from 20 families), St Teresa (191 people from 56 families), while about 19 people from three families were evacuated to the Kota Marudu Community hall.
Mohd Isa said the water levels at Bandau and Bongon rivers were recorded at 7.8 metres and 8.4 meters respectively which had surpassed the normal water level at 5.9 metres.
On Saturday, 477 people from 155 families abandoned their homes and moved to the said relief centres.
Among the affected villages are Kampung Bintasan Laut, Kg Bengkongan Laut, Kg Beliajong, Kg Tingkalanon in Tandek, Kg Asin-Asin, Kg Teritipan, Kg Morion, Kg Tonsom, Kg Mangin, Kg Ongkilan, Kg Parong, Kg Kuranji, Kg Popok Laut, Kg Popok Darat, Kg Panchor and Kg Langkon.
In Pitas, Mohd Isa said 56 people from 11 families had been evacuated to two relief centres after flood hit six villages.
Meanwhile, 286 residents in Sandakan were evacuated when their village was threatened with flood and landslide.
Out of this figure, 220 of them from 50 families whose homes are located on the hill slopes in Jalan Sim-Sim here and facing the threat of landslips, were evacuated to the Kampung Melayu Sim-Sim community hall in stages since Saturday.
Another 66 residents from 14 families in Kampung Gum-Gum, 16th mile Jalan Labuk, were evacuated to the Gum-Gum multi-purpose hall after their homes were flooded.
The spokesman said they were monitoring several flood- and landslide-prone areas in the district.
He said other evacuation centres had been prepared and these included the Sandakan community hall, Batu 5 community hall and Sibuga Jaya multipurpose hall.