By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Jan 14: Sarawak authorities have ordered compulsory evacuations in severely flooded areas where water levels have risen as high as longhouse rooftops, with the sole priority being to save lives, Deputy Premier and State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said today.
According to a TVS news report, Uggah stressed that while the Sarawak government understands residents’ concerns over the safety of their homes and belongings, remaining behind in such conditions poses an extreme danger.
“In some places, including Sebauh, floodwaters have reached the roof level of longhouses. If people do not evacuate, it is simply too dangerous. That is why in Kuching, even when some victims refused to move, we still insisted on evacuation,” he told reporters after visiting three temporary evacuation centres (PPS) in the Bintulu Division.
Uggah clarified that the evacuation directive was issued purely on safety grounds and not as a blanket announcement without consideration of circumstances on the ground.
“The objective is to save lives. Assistance matters are something we do consider, and we have given conditions to the chairman of SDMC at the divisional level. In certain situations, if there is a need for two or three individuals to stay behind to look after a longhouse, we can consider that,” he said.
He emphasised that the State government is not rigid in enforcing evacuation orders, but safety remains the overriding concern in all decisions.
To address fears over property security, Uggah said the police have been instructed to closely monitor evacuated areas and unattended homes to prevent theft or other threats.
“This approach is meant to give flood victims peace of mind so they can evacuate without excessive worry about their property,” he added.
The Sarawak government, he said, will continue to assess conditions on the ground from time to time to determine the best course of action to ensure the safety of all residents affected by the floods. — DayakDaily
