By Ling Hui
KUCHING, April 6: The Sibu Divisional Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) is having an emergency meeting since 2.30pm today to discuss solutions to the aftermath of the freak storm which hit Sibu last night (April 5).
This was revealed by Pelawan assemblyman Michael Tiang on social media earlier today.
This morning, Tiang together with Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Clarence Ting visited housing areas at Rejang Park, Jalan Merdeka, Jalan Merak, and Jalan Berjaya to inspect the conditions of houses hit by the windstorm.
“The main purpose (of the visit) was to understand the extent of damage to the homes caused by yesterday’s violent storm, and to mobilise human resources to help clean up public places where necessary,” said Tiang.
He also said that their first priority was to ask the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) to gather the contact numbers of affected households and record the damages.
“So that I can ask the Sarawak government for natural disaster relief funds to help the victims in Sibu tide over these difficult times,” he added.
From Tiang’s Facebook livestream earlier, it could be seen that a number of houses at Rejang Park were seriously hit by the storm.
Some residents were seen already up on their roofs trying to fix whatever they could before the next storm hits. In some other homes, water could be seen dripping from the ceilings onto their furnishings.
In front of one of the houses, a parked Perodua Kenari sustained serious damage after being hit by a fallen tree last night. The owner of the vehicle even lamented that repairs could cost thousands and they did not have that kind of money. — DayakDaily
