BARAM: Tonnes of emergency supplies of food aid are being deployed into remote northern Sarawak for the thousands of rural communities affected by last week’s floods.
Sarawak Deputy Minister for Local Government and Housing Datuk Dr Pengguang Manggil said the state welfare and district office were arranging food aid deployments.
“Fullscale mobilisation of resources is underway to send food supplies to as many flooded settlements as soon as possible.
“We are using cargo boats and tugboats to travel using rivers into the flood hit zones as all roads are flooded and cannot be used by land transport.
He said, those who were stranded should be patient and wait for authorities to reach them.
“They must not make attempts to get out as it is too risky,” he said today when visiting flood-hit Marudi district, which has a population of 40,000 people.
Manggil, who is the Marudi state assemblyman, also assessed the situation in Marudi town. Floodwaters have risen knee-high, while shops and offices were closed for the time being.
Manggil called on his constituents to remain alert as torrential rain may persist. Numerous parts of Sarawak have seen floods over this whole week due to intense rain.
The State Disaster Management Committee had earlier issued a warning that Sarawak may see early arrival of the monsoon that comes with heavy rain and severe floods. – Bernama