Heavy rain, strong winds wreak havoc in Tawau

Heavy rain and strong winds wreaked havoc in Tawau this morning causing damages to houses and public property in the district.

In the 3am incident, roofs of seven houses were either damaged or blown away while a Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) transformer and electric cable pole were damaged by fire.

One of the victims, Herman Hatta, 34, said during the incident he and his wife were sleeping in their house at Jalan Bunga Raya, near here.

"It was raining heavily and strong winds blew away parts of my roof. Fortunately we did not suffer any injuries," he told Bernama.

Another victim, Hassan Ali, 65, said he rushed out of his house after loud noises were heard outside.

"When I rushed out to investigate, the situation was like a hurricane and saw roofs of houses, including the roof of my house blown away. Thank God we were all safe," he said.

Tawau Fire and Rescue Department chief Mohd Razali Awang Ahmad said a distress call was received at 3.20am and a team has been sent to monitor the situation at the affected area.

Meanwhile, Sabah Youth and Sports minister Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan has directed the Tawau Natural Disaster Committee to evaluate the situation and damages caused by the strong winds.

Tawfiq who is also Apas state assemblyman said he had contacted state secretary Tan Sri Sukarti Wakiman to provide financial assistance to the victims.