Kronologi Banjir Di Kuching

Kuching Floods 2009.
Salam semua. Minggu ni minggu yang tak berapa best sebab fenomena banjir yang luar biasa di Kuching pada awal tahun 2009 ni. Mujurlah hari ni nampak ok sikit. Hujan yang turun semenjak hari Jumaat lepas iaitu pada 9 Januari 2009 yang lepas telah mengakibatkan keadaan banjir yang dahsyat sekali di kebanyakan tempat di Sarawak. Banyak aktiviti harian telah dibatalkan seperti sekolah, aktiviti pengangkutan dan sebagainya telah dibatalkan. Banyak kakitangan swasta dan kerajaan tidak turun ke tempat kerja semalam kerana tersekat akibat banjir cam aku jugak. Berikut adalah gambar yang Jeraul sempat ambil semasa mengalami keadan banjir di Kampung Gita Laut Tengah, disamping gambar sampingan yang ada di internet.

Jeraul mulakan perjalanan untuk ke rumah mak di Kampung Gita Laut Tengah dari kawasan Semarak. Lepas parking kereta di Semarak, Jeraul berjalan kaki untuk ke sana. Waktu tu Dewan serbaguna Semarak dah penuh dengan mangsa-mangsa banjir. Gambar atas adalah semasa Jeraul berada di Jalan Bunga Kenanga. Paras air adalah di bahagian pinggang. Masa ni Jeraul sorang jer yang berjalan meredah air... takut woiii... dahlah air gelap semacam jer.
Salah satu rumah yang ada di Jalan Bunga Kenanga yang sempat Jeraul snap....


Gambar atas, setelah Jeraul sampai di Simpang Jalan Perupok. Waktu ni, paras air masih di bahagian pinggang. Sejuk....

Jalan Bunga Mawar. Salah satu jalan untuk ke Kampung Gita Laut Tengah. Jeraul menggunakan jalan ni sebab dah hafal selok belok jalanraya ni. Perkara yang paling ditakuti ialah jatuh dalam longkang atau lubang.

Akhirnya sampai.... Gambar atas adalah tempat sedara mara parking kereta dan motorsikal. Dua buah bukit kecil nilah yang menjadi penyelamat kepada kenderaan diorang. Masa Jeraul ambil gambar ni paras air adalah di bahagian dada. Tanah rumah mak berada lebih rendah dari jalanraya. Kalau Jeraul jalan kaki memang tak lepas... so kena berenang untuk kerumah mak. Nasib rumah dibina atas tiang tinggi. Air masuk ke dalam rumah masa tu adalah paras lutut. Mujur mak ok dan takde perkara yang tak diingini berlaku. Perkara yang paling menyedihkan pada hari semalam ialah, penduduk di sekitar Kampung Gita ni, tak kira lah Gita Laut, Gita Ulu, Bunga Mawar , Tmn. Fitrah dan sebagainya, sudahlah banjir.... ditambah lagi dengan keadaan blackout nya yang berlaku malam sebelumnya sehingga petang semalam.
Lain-lain gambar..... Gambar atas adalah gambar Pekan Siniawan ayang tenggelam.
Jalan Bandaraya Kuching yang begitu cepat dinaiki air.


Jalan bawah Kubah Ria..... terputus hubungan bagi mereka yang hendak ke Tupong atau ke bandar Kuching...
Dari kawasan Kubah Ria, boleh nampak paras air yang hampir mencecah jambatan. Laluan utama penduduk Petra Jaya dengan pusat bandar.


Floods wreak havoc in Sarawak

Nearly 4,000 people forced to move to higher ground; water level reported rising

KUCHING: Rising flood waters in Kuching, Samarahan and Sri Aman divisions forced the evacuation of nearly 4,000 people.

Thousands of others were also stranded either at home or evacuation centres as roads were cut off after major rivers and their tributaries burst their banks yesterday.

In some parts like Kampung Suba Buan in Bau, flood waters rose to 14 feet.

The floods which were confined to several parts in Bau district along Sungai Sarawak Kanan since Friday spread to other parts in Kuching Division, including the city, where some parts came under one to three feet of water.

The roads and areas included Gambier Street, Jalan P Ramlee, Khoo Hun Yeang Street, Jalan Ang Cheng Ho, Jalan Datuk Abang Abdul Rahim, Jalan Petanak, Jalan Chawan, Kampung Kudei, Jalan Nanas, Jalan Green, Jalan Sungai Maong and some parts of Petra Jaya.

The outskirts of the city like Matang, Batu Kitang, Batu Kawa, Santubong, Padawan and Siburan were also affected where the water level was reported to have been between two and seven feet.

Another tributary of the Sarawak River, Sungai Sarawak Kiri also burst the banks and flooded some villages along it such as Kampung Giam and Kampung Semadang.

Electricity supply in those villages was also interrupted several times since Saturday evening.

Some areas in Serian and Sadong Jaya in Samarahan Division were also under water.

In Sri Aman, the affected areas included Pangkalan Pantu and Kerepok (Lingga).

Continuous heavy rain and thunderstorms also caused several landslides in Bukit Genting and Slabi in Serian (along the road to Gedong) and Jalan Kampung Singai — cutting off nine villages to the main road.

However, no casualty was reported from these incidents.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan sent a warning to residents in these divisions that the floods could get worse each day as rain clouds continued to hover around these divisions, with the highest concentration around the water catchment area here.

“A few days ago, the rain clouds were above the sea, but now the vortex has come its way here and is expected to stay for a few days.

“It could get worse and we’re expecting and bracing for the worse. It could be worse than the 2004 floods,” he told a press conference at the flood operations room at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here.

At press time, the tide at Sarawak River Barrage read 10.9 metres.

On Saturday, the highest tide recorded was 10.6 metres and during the 2003 flood, water level at the barrage read 10.6 metres while in 2004, 10.7 metres.

Dr Chan, who is State Disaster Relief Committee chairman, said the floods could get worse with the current forecast weather because King Tides reaching the highest point, 6.2 metres (forecast in the Sarawak Government Almanac) would occur until Jan 14.

He said the rainfall in the last few days had been ‘extraordinary’ and on Saturday, it was three to four times more than the normal average.

The Meteorological Services Department’s alert level is categorised as ‘Red Alert’ from Jan 11 to 14.

The comparative 2004 and 2009 floods based on 24-hour rainfall accumulation are as follows:

Jan 22 2004: 20mm; Jan 8 2009: 6 mm; Jan 23 2004: 40 mm; Jan 9 2009: 54 mm; Jan 24 2004: 223mm, Jan 10 2009: 225mm; Jan 25 2004: 205mm; Jan 11 2009: 187mm (for 15 hours) but 299mm projected; Jan 26 2004: 97mm; Jan 12 to 14 2009: continuous rain predicted.

Dr Chan said food supply would be sent either by boat or helicopter to flood victims at evacuation centres which could not be reached by roads.

“We’ll try to fly in food supplies to some 100 people from Kampung Suba Buan who had been evacuated to higher ground,” he said. (However, at press time 6pm, air surveillance and food supply could not be done/flown in as bad weather persisted.)

“We’ll be asking for help from Labuan to bring in some helicopters here to assist us in our evacuation effort,” he added.

He assured the people that the barrage gates had been opened to drain out excessive rain water and mitigate flood.

On the situation in other parts of the state, Dr Chan said no major flooding was reported in Sibu, Bintulu and Miri divisions at the moment as there was no heavy rain in the upper reaches.

He called on all elected representatives to do their part in assisting in evacuation efforts and inform the flood operations room of any current matter concerning floods in their area.

He commended the army, police and Fire and Rescue Department for a better co-ordination between them this time.

“The Chief Minister is also happy that there is no panic call,” he added.

He said yesterday was really a ‘worrying day’ for teams in the flood operations room.

Dr Chan said the teams also welcomed feedback from the public, adding that those with boats should help in evacuation efforts.

RTM would broadcast the latest update on the flood situation hourly so that the public would be better informed about the weather outlook and King Tides, he said.

Kuching Resident Rodziah Morshidi, meanwhile, said Kuching Division had 115 evacuation centres with a capacity for 32,600 people, and Sri Aman Division, more than 100 centres with a capacity for 2,000 people.

She said a total of 3,773 people from 629 families had been evacuated to 23 centres in these divisions out of which four are in Lundu, Bau (10), Kuching (six), Simunjan (one), Serian (one) and Sri Aman (one).

The evacuation centres in Kuching and Samarahan are Masjid Kampung Landeh, Dewan Serbaguna Kampung Batu Kitang Jaya, Wei Xyuan Xiang Seafood Restaurant, Surau Kampung Stapok, Kilang Keropok Hee Lim Trading, Surau Kampung Segedup, SJK Chung Hua No. 6, SMK Green Road, Dewan Masyarakat Sungai Maong, SK Merpati Jepang, Balai Raya Pinang Jawa, SK Sejijak, Bukit Kampung Maang area, Dewan Serbaguna Kampung Chupak, St Richard Church of Kampung Mundai, Dewan Serbaguna Kampung Skuduk, Dewan Kampung Bunuk and SK St Peter, Simpok.

In Sri Aman, nearly 70 evacuees from 13 families are putting up at SK Chung Hua Pantu.

Nine roads — Jalan Bau/Serikin, Jalan Lundu/Selampit, KM6 Jalan Matang/Taman Malihah, Jalan Mendu, Jalan Batu Kawa MJC, Jalan Batu 24 Kuching/Serian and Jalan Puncak Borneo — had been cut off by floods and not passable to any type of vehicles.

Roads submerged under water but still passable to some heavy duty vehicles are KM75 Jalan Kuching/Sri Aman, Jalan Matang Baru, Jalan Pedada-Jalan Tun Zaidi in Sibu, she added.

The flood operations room can be reached round the clock at 082-447924, 447960 or 492703, Kuching Resident’s Office 082-246911, 243301 or 422263.

The Bau flood operations room can be reached at 082-732022 or 763106; Sri Aman — 083-323366.

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