SERIAN: A total of 3, 034 people from 793 homes in 21 villages in Serian Division were affected by flood as of late Tuesday.
Of these, 363 families with 1,260 people were sheltered at 11 relief centres while 389 families comprising 1,692 people though affected chose to remain in their homes or put up with friends and relatives.
This was disclosed by Serian District Officer Lim Hock Meng when he briefed Human Resources Minister Dato Sri (Dr) Richard Riot Jaem yesterday Wednesday.
Lim said the flood had begun to recede late Tuesday and that by early yesterday two of the 11 relief centres were closed as victims made their way to return home.
“If the weather holds longer, one more relief centre will be closed by later today,” Lim told the six-term Serian MP who flew back to Serian from Kuala Lumpur ‘on the earliest possible flight out to see the flood situation first-hand’ yesterday.
After the briefing, Lim and several heads of departments and members of the division’s natural disaster and relief committee accompanied Riot on his round of visits to several relief centres.
Among them were Deputy Resident Mastopa Julaihi, Tebedu District Officer Raymond Achen, Serian District Council secretary Constantine Jonas Noeb, Serian police chief DSP Aswandy Hanis, Serian Welfare Department chief Evelyn Musa and representatives of Bomba, JPAM and the army.
The condition at Dewan Masyarakat Serian, which sheltered 133 famies of 423 people, was far better than the last flood two years ago.
Even though every available space of the fully airconditioned community hall was occupied, most of the evacuees were roomed in a 6ft by 6ft tent.
A clearly happy evacuee Abg Zanidi Abg Ali, 37, from Kpg Hilir Serian said although his was among the few families not provided the tent, the general condition was satisfactory.
“I don’t mind waiting for the new shipment of tents, but I am happy that the sick, the elderly and those with infants are comfortably tugged into their tents,” Zanidi told Riot.
The Minister who visited every tent in the community hall, was later briefed by Serian medical officer Dr Mathew Gabriel who said that besides healthy food and drinks, their other concern was the health and wellbeing of the evacuees.
He said nurses and other medical staff were being stationed at the hall round the clock.
“Medical teams are also being stationed in all the other relief centres,” he assured.
Riot was expected to spend the rest of the day visiting the other relief centres and affected villages.
