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KOTA KINABALU – A total of 117 families have been evacuated from eight villages in Pitas after the district was hit with flash floods yesterday.
The Sabah Civil Defence Force said in a statement that four temporary relief centres have been activated, housing 386 victims as of 8pm today.
The temporary relief centres include the SK Pekan Pitas II hall, the SK Rukom hall, the Kg Kusilad hall, and the Kg Sinukab hall.
Pitas, a rural district in northern Sabah, is the only one in the state that has been affected by floods this month.
A relative of an affected family, Fazilah Jimlin, told The Vibes that while she is working in Kota Kinabalu, her mother and sister are in Kg Kanibongan, one of the Pitas villages affected by the flood.
“It is like nothing they have experienced before. I saw the photos they have shared with me and I was shocked. Some houses that had never been flooded were heavily inundated.
“I do not know when the rescue team is going to get there, but many families in the Kg Kanibongan have moved to their neighbours’ houses on higher ground.
“Right now, I was told that the electricity and water supply have been disrupted at the village, and I have lost contact with my family today. I worry for their safety and hope that the Civil Defence Force will reach them as soon as possible as they have contacted the emergency hotline this morning.”
Fazilah said despite the village being flooded frequently throughout the year, this is the worst one that had hit Kg Kanibongan. – The Vibes, February 7, 2022