APM personnel assisting to evacuate residents from Sungai Sebatang squatters area to higher ground.
SIBU (Nov 28): A total of 135 individuals from 45 families in Bintulu division are now taking temporary shelter at the evacuation center in Stadium Muhibbah Bintulu after their homes were inundated by flash floods since last night.
Civil Defence Force (APM) officer Leftenant Ra’idah Jomi in a statement today, said her team together with other related agencies, started evacuating all flood victims from three affected places, namely squatters areas in Sungai Sebatang, squatters areas in Sungai Plan and Kampung Avenue from 11pm last night.
“The evacuation operations involved 30 families from Sungai Plan, 11 families from Sungai Sebatang and two families Kampung Avenue, where their homes were inundated between 0.5 and 0.6 meter of water,” she informed.
She said two APM teams were deployed to the locations to monitor and inspect the areas affected.
Ra’idah added that following that, APM with the assistance of Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), police, People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela), army and Social Welfare Department carried out rescue works on victims still stranded in their respective homes including handling evacuation matters.
“We were also made to understand that water level rose rapidly and caught the residents off guard, and they could not salvage their belongings. Thankfully, there was no untoward incident,” she added.
Meanwhile, Bintulu Resident Jack Aman Luat, who is also the division disaster management committee chairman, said the evacuation center at Stadium Muhibbah was activated at 1.39am to house the flood victims.
Incessant downpours pounding Bintulu since last night caused several main roads to be inundated and among those badly affected were Jalan Sungai Plan, Jalan Tanjung Batu and Jalan Sebiyu as well as Jalan Tun Hussein Onn.