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Putrajaya will help the Sarawak government set up another two major flood preparation centres in Sibu and Miri as early preparations to face the impending floods that will come with the year-end landas (monsoon) season.
Federal Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the flood centres in Sibu and Miri will supplement the two existing ones in Kuching and Samarahan in southern Sarawak.
"Each of these centres can hold food supplies for at least 30,000 flood victims at any one time.
"They are set up at a cost of RM6.1 million.
"They will be equipped with not just food, but also temporary tents, blankets, mattresses and other necessities that include wheelchairs for those in need," she said after checking the centre in Samarahan.
The Sibu centre will cater to the flood victims in central Sarawak districts of Sibu, Mukah, Selangau, Sarikei, Kapit, Belaga and Pelagus.
The Miri base will cater to the needs of those in the northern districts of Miri, Bintulu, Marudi, Telang Usan, Limbang and Lawas.
The recent floods in central Sarawak saw floodwaters reaching the rooftops of schools, said Federal Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, who on Sept 2 admitted that the flood woes have become more devastating than ever before in the state.
Nanta, who is state ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak secretary-general and MP for Kapit, is the second senior Sarawak politician in the past month to publicly acknowledge the severity of the flood woes suffered by Sarawakians.
On Aug 26, Progressive Democratic Party president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing had also acknowledged that the people in flood prone regions in Sarawak were suffering badly due to the floods that were getting from bad to worse by the year. - September 18, 2024.