Flash flood: Forty people evacuated from Labuan village
Published on: Saturday, October 02, 2021
By: Bernama
LABUAN: A six-month-old infant was among 40 people who were evacuated after flash floods hit the Rancha-Rancha village here today.
Labuan Fire and Rescue Department director Ismaidi Ismail (pix) said the Rancha-Rancha fire station dispatched a team to evacuate the victims after receiving a report on the flash floods at 3 am.
ADVERTISEMENT “We evacuated 40 people from seven families to our Rancha-Rancha fire station hall. The evacuation was carried out in collaboration with the Malaysian Civil Defence Force,“ he told Bernama.
He said the floods were caused by torrential rain and high tide.
Some houses were flooded waist deep while some roads were submerged in knee-deep floodwaters and extremely dangerous to light vehicles such as motorcycles, he said.
Ismaidi said it was still drizzling at 10 am today and they were monitoring the situation on the ground and assisting the flood victims in any way possible.
ADVERTISEMENT One of the flood victims, Abdul Rahim Yahya, 68, said his family struggled to move furniture and electrical appliances to higher grounds.
He said they managed to rescue his two grandchildren from the rising waters.
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“Water started entering the house around 3 am and rose to knee level due to non-stop heavy rain. We were sleeping when the water started submerging our house.
“Until now, the floodwaters show no signs of receding. If the situation worsens, we may have to stay in the evacuation centre for a few more days for our safety,“ he added.
Roseemyzal Nordin, 36, said he incurred losses amounting to RM150,000 after his two vehicles were damaged by the floods.
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Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said food assistance would be channelled to the victims beginning today.
“Today is my first working visit to Labuan and I’m able to visit the flash floods victims,“ he said.