EIGHTEEN people from three families in Trusan, in the Lawas district of Sarawak, are the first in the state to have been forced out of their homes by floodwaters.

The eight adults and 10 children from two villages – Kg Seberang Kedai and Kg Gelapas – were evacuated about 11am today and are now placed at the Trusan community hall, according to the state disaster and relief committee secretariat.

Civil Defence Department’s Major Ismail Mahedin, the officer in charge of monitoring flood threat, said the secretariat has also received reports from the state Education Department that five schools in Lawas and one in Baram are already under 0.3m to 1m of water.

All schools are, however, closed for the year-end holidays.

As the northern areas of the state reeled under continuous heavy rain, floodwaters have also disrupted flights into Lawas town.

The town’s small airport, located next to the swollen Lawas River, was reported to be under 0.6m of water at 7am, forcing a temporary suspension of air service.

Ismail said the river had burst its banks from the unrelenting heavy rain from yesterday evening, inundating the runway and aircraft apron.

Malaysia Airports Sdn Bhd will issue the Notice to Airmen, better known by its acronym Notam, soon, he said.

Notam is a written notification issued to pilots advising them of circumstances relating to the state of flying.

As the threat of flood rises, people living along the Sg Limbang and the state’s second longest river, Sg Baram, have been placed on alert.

The water of the rivers have breached the alert level, while the flood monitoring station at Ukong, on Sg Limbang, reported at 2.45pm that the water had breached the warning level.

The water was 5.73m high – 1.23m above the alert level of 4.5m. The river’s normal level is 4m.

The Irrigation and Drainage Department anticipates that water levels will continue to rise.

On Sg Baram, the Long Teru station reported the water level was 6.2m – 0.2m above the alert level.

A warning to evacuate will be issued when the water level reaches 7m.

The populace in Marudi town is also under threat with the Sg Baram water level reported at 2.91m this afternoon – above the alert level of 2.79m.

A picture of a crocodile swimming, reportedly in Marudi town, which has gone viral, has been dismissed as fake by Sarawak Forestry deputy general manager Oswald Braken Tisen.

“(It’s) an old picture that first circulated several years ago,” the state’s crocodile expert said. – December 5, 2019.