Number of flood evacuees in Sarawak drops to 934

KUCHING:The number of evacuees in Sarawak following the third wave of floods which began on Tuesday has dropped to 934 people this evening, compared to 1,070 in the morning.

The Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee (JPBN) Secretariat in its latest report said the number of relief centres (PPS) in operation had also decreased from 18 to 14 as of 5 pm today.

Four PPS remain open in Simunjan, Samarahan (one) and Serian (nine).

Serian, which is located about 60 km from Kuching city centre, remains the worst affected district, with 701 evacuees from 234 families recorded so far.

Meanwhile, checks by Bernama found the flood situation in Kampung Hulu Serian - located about 65 km from Kuching city - has slightly improved, however, it is expected to take some time to fully recede.

Kampung Hulu Serian Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) deputy secretary Norita Osman said although the water had started to recede, the village was still flooded due to the continuous rain.

The unexpected heavy rain over the past few days has caused a prolonged flood situation in Sarawak.

-- BERNAMA