SANDAKAN: Floods due to the northeast monsoon season this year have caused more people to be evacuated than usual, says Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
He said that within the space of a month, the number of evacuees was 121,864 and added that this is 67% of the total for the whole monsoon season last year.
He said that the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) was carrying out round-the-clock monitoring from November to March.
Speaking to reporters after visiting victims of the king tide phenomenon that has destroyed 108 houses in Kg Forest here since Dec 24, Armizan said it had been forecasted that bad weather conditions could continue until the end of the year.
Armizan also thanked the various government agencies for acting quickly in evacuating people during the high tide phenomenon in Sabah to ensure no lives were lost.
The high tide phenomenon at the coastal squatter colony of Kg Forest destroyed some 108 houses and caused damage to other houses in the area. A total of 106 families comprising 705 people are being sheltered at SK Sungai Anib 2.
Armizan said that they were looking at measures that can be taken to assist victims and considering the possibility if they can be allowed to stay for longer at the temporary relief centre.
King tides occur when Earth is close to both the moon and Sun. This occurs twice a year during the Winter and Summer solstices.
Tides can rise 30cm or more above the average high tide levels.
