One of the seven longhouses in Saeh in Niah that was inundated by flood yesterday.
Kuala Niah cut off by flood.
Lee (3rd left), Lai (2nd right) brave the rain to have a look at the situation in Kampung Katong in Lopeng.
This damaged road in Kuala Niah has left many vehicles stranded.
Miri: Continuous rainfall since Monday caused floods, landslides and roads to collapse in various parts of Miri, Bekenu, Niah and Bakong yesterday.
Seven longhouses in Saeh, Niah, were submerged in one to two feet of water, while access to Kampung Lajong in Kuala Niah was cut off following the collapse of its sole access road – leaving thousands of residents stranded.
The Fire and Rescue Services Department (Bomba) here said they had yet to receive any report as at press time, but they had rushed teams to Kampung Iran and Suai area to monitor the situation.
Landslides, which occurred at about 10.45am yesterday, caused a long traffic snarl in Pujut Padang Kerbau, forcing Public Works Department (PWD) to rush a team to remove the huge volume of earth there.
There was also a landslide about six kilometres away at Kampung Katong in Lopeng and it affected the access road there, prompting Miri City Council (MMC) to remove the debris.
Assistant Minister of Communications Datuk Lee Kim Shin, Mayor Lawrence Lai and council engineers were among the earliest to be at the site shortly after it happened.
Miri Resident Antonio Kahti Galis, when contacted at about 5pm yesterday, said both roads at Padang Kerbau and Lopeng had been opened to the public.
He said the Sibuti sub-district office had also reported that Kampung Tiris in Bekenu was submerged by flash flood by about two feet of water.
“Most of the houses are on stilts so there is no evacuation so far. As for Saeh and Kuala Niah, we have not received any report yet.”
Meanwhile, low-lying areas in Bakong were also flooded.
At Rumah Morgan in Sungai Nipa, about one kilometre from Beluru town, villagers scrambled to save their vehicles, poultry and pigs as water submerged their compounds.
Sibuti MP Ahmad Lai was not available for comment.
The Resident’s Office disaster relief and co-ordination committee is keeping a close eye on the overall situation through the respective district offices in Miri and Marudi.
In Marudi, soil erosion left a big pothole in Jalan Limbang, before SMK Marudi, posing a danger to motorists.
Meanwhile, residents at a major residential area in Miri also posted pictures in the social media of water from the monsoon drain spilling over to the road, and many heaved a sigh of relief when the incessant rain stopped at about 3pm before flood water reached their houses.