Minister’s house among those affected by Kota Kinabalu flash floods

 

Both sides of the road are inundated by floodwaters at Mile 7 Jalan Tuaran.

KOTA KINABALU: A non-stop downpour for several hours here triggered severe flash floods all over the state capital, inundating main roads and homes including those of a state minister and other state VIPs.

Among those affected was Sabah local government and housing minister Masidi Manjun, whose house is located in Kampung Likas here, about a five-minute drive from the city centre.

Masidi said this was the worst flooding at the village, which is a close-knit coastal community near the Likas Bay, in years.

“Really bad. There’s water all over in my house,” he said.

“I have experienced (such a flash flood) once in Kampung Likas many years ago but not like this. This is the first time I experienced (flooding) this bad.

“I was told it’s partly due to high tide and because the floodwaters were not flowing quickly back to sea.”

It is learnt that the house of former chief minister Salleh Said Keruak, who is also residing in Kampung Likas, was also affected by floodwaters.

The rain started at about 2pm today and affected many areas in neighbouring Penampang district, besides Kota Kinabalu. As at 8.30pm tonight, the rain had yet to stop.

A screenshot from a video showing the flash flood at Jalan Tanjung Lipat which leads to the city centre.

Many of the main roads in the state capital, including Jalan Sulaman near the 1Borneo Hypermall, Jalan Lintas, Jalan Tuaran Lama and Mile 7 Jalan Inanam, were inaccessible to smaller vehicles.

A spokesman at the Lintas fire station said they received a number of emergency calls from road users who were trapped in the flash floods.

So far, there have been no reports of people being moved to temporary shelters, the spokesman said, adding the Kota Kinabalu fire department is watching the situation closely.

Meanwhile, a spokesman at the Penampang fire station said they have yet to receive any distress calls from residents in the district over the flooding.

He said there was only one call involving a fallen tree obstructing traffic at one of the main roads there at 4.54pm.

A team of nine firemen was sent to remove the debris. - FMT