PETALING JAYA – Jabatan Meteorologi (MetMalaysia) mengeluarkan amaran hujan berterusan tahap buruk bagi beberapa kawasan di Sarawak berkuat kuasa hari ini sehingga esok.

MetMalaysia dalam kenyataan berkata, hujan lebat berterusan dijangka berlaku di kawasan Kuching, Serian, Samarahan, Betong, Sarikei (Pakan, Sarikei dan Meradong), Sibu (Sibu) dan Mukah.

Sementara itu, MetMalaysia juga mengeluarkan amaran hujan berterusan tahap waspada melibatkan bahagian lain di negeri Sarawak antaranya Sri Aman (Sri Aman), Sarikei (Julau), Sibu (Kanowit dan Selangau), Bintulu dan Miri (Subis dan Miri).

Tambah MetMalaysia, amaran yang sama turut melibatkan beberapa daerah di negeri Sabah ekoran hujan lebat berterusan yang dijangka berlaku bermula hari ini sehingga Sabtu.

Kata MetMalaysia, antara kawasan terlibat adalah Pantai Barat (Ranau dan Kota Belud), Sandakan (Telupid, Kinabatangan, Beluran dan Sandakan) serta Kudat. – KOSMO! ONLINE

KUALA LUMPUR:  The number of evacuees seeking shelter at temporary evacuation centres (PPS) across the three flood-affected states - Johor, Sarawak, and Sabah - continued to rise as of 8am today compared to yesterday.

In JOHOR, the latest state to be hit by floods, the number of evacuees increased slightly to 372 from 364 reported last night.

State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Tan Sri Dr Azmi Rohani said all evacuees were housed in three relief centres in the Kota Tinggi district: Dewan Muafakat Taman Desaru Utama (172 people), Dewan Kampung Baru Sungai Mas (40 people), and Sekolah Kebangsaan Bandar Penawar (160 people).

"In addition, the Sungai Kahang station in Kampung Contoh, Kluang, has exceeded the danger level, recording a reading of 14.57 metres," he said in a statement today.

SARAWAK remains the worst-affected state, with the number of evacuees rising again after several days of decline. A total of 5,384 people are now taking shelter in 30 relief centres, up from 5,125 last night.

The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee Secretariat reported an increase in evacuees in two divisions - the Sibu Division, where the number rose to 1,142 from 876, and the Mukah Division, which recorded 528 evacuees, up from 501 last night.

Meanwhile, the number of evacuees in Bintulu saw a slight decline, dropping to 1,864 from 1,865, while Miri also recorded a drop to 1,184 from 1,217. The number of evacuees in Serian (507), Samarahan (149), and Sarikei (10) remained unchanged.

In SABAH, Keningau became the latest district to be affected by floods late last night, after Kinabatangan.

The State Disaster Management Committee Secretariat said that the number of evacuees continued to rise, reaching 319 from 82 families this morning, up from 228 from 60 families reported at 8 last night.

"A total of 66 people (from 16 families) have been evacuated to a relief centre in Keningau, while 253 people (from 65 families) are taking shelter in two centres in Kinabatangan," the committee said. – BERNAMA

KUCHING (Feb 6): The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a continuous rain warning (severe and alert levels) for several areas in Sabah and Sarawak, as the monsoon surge is expected to persist until Sunday.

In Sarawak, a severe-level continuous rain warning is in effect until tomorrow for parts of Kuching, Serian, Samarahan, Sarikei, Sibu, Sri Aman, Miri, and Bintulu.

A severe warning is issued when heavy rain is expected to persist over a prolonged period.

MetMalaysia also issued an alert-level continuous rain warning for several areas in the west coast of Sabah, Kudat, and Sandakan, until Saturday.

An alert-level warning indicates continuous rain expected within one to three days or ongoing storm conditions.

In addition, MetMalaysia also maintained its strong wind and rough sea warnings at first, second, and third levels until Sunday.

These conditions pose a significant danger to shipping activities, small boats, and marine sports or recreational activities.

In Peninsular Malaysia, the weather is expected to be generally fair, but thunderstorms and rain are expected in the afternoon, particularly in parts of Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, and Johor.

The department advised the public to remain vigilant and stay updated with the MyCuaca app, MetMalaysia’s official website at www.met.gov.my, or its social media channels for accurate and verified weather information.

PETALING Jaya City Council (MBPJ) is facilitating foundation repairs and clean-ups near the Lembah Subang People’s Housing Project (PPR), where an unlicensed workshop used for recycling plastic once stood.

The workshop was swept away by a landslide into Sungai Kayu Ara in the wee hours of Jan 15.

The couple attributed the problem to long-standing drainage issues and large cracks in the foundation at the PPR’s multipurpose hall located next to the workshop.

Petaling Jaya mayor Mohamad Zahri Samingon said while the PPR falls under the Housing and Local Government Ministry’s (KPKT) jurisdiction, MBPJ had offered to clean up the area in the interest of public safety.

“Repairs are being done to stabilise the riverbank. We are helping with repair works such as piling,” he said.

“By right, the district land office heads district-level disasters. The problem of cracks in the foundation does not fall under MBPJ’s jurisdiction.

“We have discussed sharing the cost for repairs with the National Housing Department,” he said after presenting shopping vouchers to 100 B40 families for school supplies under MBPJ’s social welfare initiative at Mydin USJ in Subang Jaya, Selangor.

Mohamad Zahri said the local authorities have also discussed with the Public Works Department (JKR) and Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) on the scope of work to be carried out at the site.

He added that the recycling workshop was unlicensed. Noorzainny told StarMetro that the workshop Faizul Syam built had helped the Lembah Subang community.

Residents there were remunerated for recyclable plastics they collected, she said.

At the workshop, Noorzainny and Faizul Syam sorted and transformed plastics into items such as coasters and decorative trinkets that were marketed by Upcycled – an initiative by social enterprise Fuze Ecoteer.

Recalling the night of the landslide, Noorzainny said she and Faizul Syam were cooking in their kitchen adjacent to the workshop.

“We had previously noticed cracks on the floor and walls from the workshop area that reached the back of the hall.

That day, within half an hour, the cracks became wider and the floor began sinking,” she said, adding that her husband noticed rapidly flowing water that was visible through the cracks.

Sensing imminent danger, he grabbed her hand and rushed towards the carpark just before the ground collapsed behind them.

Faizul said they managed to salvage a welding machine, which was important to their plastic recycling efforts. He said it would take time to rebuild the recycling workshop at a different location.

“The hall, built 25 years ago, is in bad state. It is unsafe now because a big tree fell on the roof during the landslide,” he said.

Fuze Ecoteer co-founder Daniel Quilter started a crowd-funding campaign to help the Lembah Subang PPR community by raising about RM9,000 to date.

“The recycling workshop provided secondary jobs for the community. “Additional funds are needed to replace the lost equipment and resources critical to their operations,” he said.

StarMetro reached out to KPKT and Petaling District Land Office but both had yet to respond at press time.