Floods: S’wak longhouse becomes ‘island’ cut off for three weeks

BINTULU: Surrounded by floodwaters for about three weeks, the Mulo longhouse now resembles a small isolated island because of the ongoing disaster.

Located in Nanga Penyarai, about a two-hour river journey from Tatau town, the longhouse was cut off when the only land route to the nearest town became impassable due to the floods.

Tuai rumah (village chief) Malo Jaah, 66, described the current flood as the most severe ordeal ever faced by the residents of the 44-door longhouse, which was built in 2000.

He noted that although the longhouse area, situated near the river, had experienced flooding before, the waters usually receded quickly.

“The rain began in mid-January, and it hasn’t stopped since. The waters have yet to subside. The residents here are unable to earn a living, and their crops have been destroyed. For now, all we can do is catch fish,” he said.

“This flood is the worst we’ve ever seen – nothing like this has happened before.

“All areas in the Tatau district have been affected. Roads are cut off, and houses are submerged. Fortunately, we built our longhouse a bit higher, so it hasn’t been flooded,” he said when met recently.

Apart from the longhouse, surrounding areas such as SK Nanga Penyarai and the Kakus Health Clinic have also been affected.

SK Nanga Penyarai senior assistant Mohd Faishal Ibrahim, who has served at the school for over 20 years, said nearly 100 people remain in the Nanga Penyarai area.

“Currently, there are five school employees and three clinic staff from Kakus still here.

“The land road is impassable, and to reach Tatau town, we have to use boats.

“However, we are running low on fuel for both the boats and generators, so we have to ration. Solar power is not fully operational owing to the cloudy weather,” he said.

On Sunday (Feb 2), Minister in the Sarawak Premier’s Department and Kakus assemblyman Datuk Seri John Sikie Tayai announced that 14 tonnes of food supplies had been delivered to flood victims in the interior of Tatau district, approximately 50km from the Bintulu town centre.

The food distribution mission, involving various agencies and coordinated through the Tatau district disaster management committee, was carried out using water and air transport.

The Nanga Penyarai and Nanga Tau areas were among those receiving food aid.

As of Monday (Feb 3) morning, the only temporary relief centre in Tatau at SMK Tatau, which opened on Jan 29, is sheltering 712 people from 216 families. – Bernama