Flash floods hit Kota Belud town following a two-hour downpour, bringing traffic to a standstill yesterday afternoon.

The water level rose to about 0.3m in the town that sits on an elevated area in the Crocker Range about 80km from here.

Northern Kudat and Kota Marudu were cut off during the two-hour long downpour, said Sabah Civil Defence Department director Col Mulliadi Al Hamid Ladin.

He said a 100m stretch of road along the Kota Belud bypass that links to Kudat and Kota Marudu was only passable to heavy vehicles while many small vehicles were also stranded in the area forcing traffic to a crawl.

Flood waters at Kampung Sembirai were at danger level while residents of Kampung Piasau have asked to be on alert as flood waters were rising, he added.

“The floods might have been triggered by blocked drains. The water slowly receded following the 2.30pm downpour,” he said.

Kota Belud town flooded after two hours rain from 2pm on Tuesday. (Dec 27)

As of 5pm, vehicles could drive through the floods, he said, adding that they were monitoring the situation closely.

Civil Defence personnel were on standby to ensure public safety.

Meanwhile, a meteorologist tracking Typhoon Nock-Ten said the typhoon was unlikely to have any severe impact on Sabah as it heads towards South China Sea after hitting the Philippines on Christmas Day.

The meteorologist believes it was weakening and heading on a westerly-north direction that may see coastal areas of Sabah getting more rain over the next 48 to 72 hours.

The Meteorological Department here said there would be more rainfall than the normal experienced during the northwest monsoon.

The effects of Typhoon Nock-Ten would be strong winds and waves up to 3.5m over the state’s coastal areas in South China Sea and there may also be strong winds on land.

Typhoon Nock-Ten slammed into the Philippines on Sunday killing at least six people and triggered flooding in some areas.

Sabah is seeing the tail effects of the typhoon which could still cause severe flooding and damages.

Source:
courtesy of THE STAR

by The Star Online

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