By Ling Hui
KUCHING, April 6: Parts of Sibu town suffered great damage after being lashed with severe thunderstorms and high winds yesterday evening (April 5).
Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Clarence Ting, who had to field a flurry of distress calls over fallen trees, broken roofing, and power cut, called the occurence “a typhoon-grade thunderstorm”.
Since 6.36pm, Ting had been posting Facebook updates about the weather condition and the whereabouts of fallen trees to warn the public of road dangers.
Some of the mentioned locations with trees obstructing traffic were Jalan Mahsuri, Jalan Pahlawan, Jalan Ulu Sg Merah, Jalan Merdeka, Jalan Wong Soon Kai, Jalan Deshon, and Jalan Oya roundabout.
On these posts, residents also took to the opportunity to share updates on the locations of car accidents and more fallen trees.
Meanwhile, at 10pm, Ting uploaded a video depicting zinc roof sheets and debris strewn on the ground at Rejang Park Market. In the caption, he wrote: “Rejang Park Market. Zinc sheets on the road. I am still checking where did they come from. Please be careful.”
Another video on Ting’s Facebook page showed stall operators from the Sibu Ramadan Bazaar holding on to their tents for dear life while a gale threatened to blow away everything which was not secured firmly.
In the background, fearful screams could be heard while other voices tried to calm them down.
In a post dated 12.53am today, Ting provided a summary to update on the progress of the removal of fallen trees all over Sibu. He also reported that there was no known casualty as of his time of posting.
He wrote: “Yes, this day was an extraordinary day. It is very rare to see such fury in the weather that lasted for 45 minutes. The only bright spot (side), I didn’t hear of any casualty.”
Some areas may still be experiencing power outages due to damaged overhead lines. Members of the public are urged to be patient while Sesco and other authorities work to restore power to the town today. — DayakDaily
