DISASTER NEWS
DISASTER NEWS
WINDS OF FURY (Angry Greg) VISITED THE LAND BELOW THE WIND
NEWS FROM DAILY EXPRESS (SUMMARISED)
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DAILY EXPRESS 27 DECEMBER 1996 (SUMMARISED)
26 December 1996 THURSDAY (BOXING DAY)
The worst storm to hit Sabah in a decade lashed the West Coast with winds up to 70km per hour in the wee hours today, leaving a trail of destruction with some 106 deaths and more still missing.
Reports are coming in of bodies being painstakingly retrieved by grieving relatives in Keningau - the worst hit - and of some alive but half buried in the mud in one of the nation's most devastating natural disasters. 500 houses in nine villages along Pampang, Bayauyo, Liawan and Sinagang rivers were washed away, leaving about 3,000 people homeless. More than 50 vehicles are submerged in the flood waters, besides some 100 dead in the district. A massive search and rescue opeation had been launched by the police, armed forces, Rela, Sabah Air, government staff and local residents.
Road communications from the State Capital (Kota Kinabalu) to Keningau, located about 131 km to the South-East, have been severed after two bridges spanning the Sungai Liawan and Sungai Pegalan were washed away. The Kota Kinablu-Tambunan road has also been closed by a landslide.
Earlier today, Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Maizan Shaari said there were also four deaths in the State Capital, another four in Tenom and two in Papar.
The Meteorological Service Department said the tropical storm "Grey" stemmed from a depression in the South China Sea at 6.7N 114.0E, travelling eastwards at nine km per hour towards Sandakan, affecting the West Coast region, Kudat and the Interior. The weather is expected to ease off gradually by tomorrow morning, while intermittent rain, occassionally heavy, would continue to previal over Kudat and Sandakan until mid-day.
Chief minister Dtuk Yong Teck Lee, who made an aerial inspection of the State Capital this morning on a helicopter, said the State Assembly Building's roof was damaged and glass windows shattered.
The seventh and the 19th Floors of the 30-storey Sabah Foundation Building also suffered damage (glass windows shattered).The seventh floor houses offices of the Chief Minister's Department while the 19th floor is occupied by offices of the Foundation. Small boats and ships were sunk near Tg. Lipat and sereral containers were still floating around the waters.
The phenomen, the worst in 10 years, was noted to have started shortly after midnight yesterday, causing widespread floodings in the interior and chaos in the major west coast towns.
Some 300 coastal homes were demolished and hundreds of trees downed by tropical storm "Grey' and its 60-70kmh winds.The badly affected areas were the water villages at Sembulan, Tanjung Aru, Likas, Menggatal and Telipok. One of the Likas Stadium's floodlights came crashing down during the the storm and obstructed half of the adjacent road. The roof of the Stadium also blown off. The winds also fell hundreds of trees that the Municipal Council planted along roadsides at Sembulan, Tanjung Aru, Tanjung Lipat and Likas. The Council deployed 500 workers to clear streets of fallen Angsana branches. Several parked vehicles had parts of the trees crashing onto them downtown and other areas.
Darkness befall more than 10,000 residents on Christmas night in the State Capital and elsewhere in the west coast as 70kmh winds uprooted scores of trees which, in turn, damaged more than 10 overhead cables.
Information Minister Datuk Mohamed Rahmat stressed the need for a more comprehensive method of presenting weather forecasts in the wake of "new" climatic conditions".
82 were identified as Indonesians.
More than 30,000 people in 30 kampungs (villages) in the Beaufort district were affected by floods for the second time this month, as the Padas River overflowd its banks, exceeding the danger level by seven metres, early Thursday morning. Yesterday morning, business activities in the Beaufort township was paralysed by 0.65 metres of water, severing road links to Kuala Penyu, Menumbok and Weston. The water level as at 10am today had risen to 9.05 metres, and there were indications that the level would increase if heavy rains continued in the Interior.
DAILY EXPRESS 29 DECEMBER 1996
NEWS HEADLINES
The death toll from tropical storm Greg's onslaught rose to 135 late yesterday. More bodies are still being retrieved.
It left 9,470 flood victims, of whom 6,881 have been evacuated. Keningau recorded 2,767 flood victims, Tenom (3,500), Kota Kinabalu (1,018) and Beaufort (910).
Flood waters in the affected areas were receding and there were no fresh reports of victims. At about 4.30 pm, three bodies were found in Keningau bringing the death toll in the worst hit district to 123. In Tuaran four deaths were reported, two each in Likas, Inanam and Papar and one in Tanjung Aru. Another 105 are still reported missing and except for one in Tuaran, all the rest are in Keningau.
Two more radars will be built in East malaysia to enhance the forecasting capabilities of Meteorological Services Department.
Science Technology and Environment Minister Datuk Law Hieng Deng said the Metorological Services Department in Petaling Jaya did issue warnings to public regarding tropical storm Greg. "Warnings were faxed to Information Department, Radio Television Malaysia, Police, Kota Kinabalu Municipal Council and the Drainage and Irrigation Department on Dec. 24" said Law to criticisms over apparent lack of ample warning about the storm. Law said the warning was issued as soon as the Petaling Jaya office received charts from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast the same day.
Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang yesterday criticised the Special Malaysian Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) swinging into action only some 50 hours after tropical storm Greg ravaged the West Coast of Sabah Wednesday. He said in a statement that SMART was merely on standby alert to assess the situation during the most critical 42 hours of ravages and aftermath of the storm. Lim said members of SMART should have been in Sabah in view of the 60 hours notice given by the Meteorological Services Department about the storm moving towards Sabah. He said 24 members of SMART only joined in the massive search and rescue operation in Keningau at 5 am yesterday.
DAILY EXPRESS - 31 DECEMBER 1996
NEWS HEADLINES
The death toll since tropical storm Greg hit Sabah last Thursday reached 169 as of 11.45 pm yesterday. Keningau - 153 deaths so far.
5,699 victims being placed at various relief centres Statewide. Keningau has the most with 3,219 people, 1,885 in Beaufort and 595 people in Kota Kinabalu.
Statistics from State Disaster Relief Operations Room here showed some 8,950 people in and around Kota Kinabalu were affected; 3,500 in Tenom; 3,103 in Keningau and Kota Marudu 1,036. In Tuaran, Tamparuli and Kuilu, about 1,400 families were affected by the storm, Beaufort 377 families and three families in Telupid.
Over RM1 million (RM - Malaysian currency) in cash and goods has been received so far for victims of storm tragedy.
DAILY EXPRESS - 1st FEBRUARY 1997
DAILY EXPRESS - 5TH APRIL 1997 (Summarised)
MEMORIAL FOR STORM VICTIMS - ON ITS 100TH DAYS - the 4th APRIL 1997
Keningau: The recent natural catastrophe caused by tropical storm Grey has shown that Malaysians are naturally a caring society.
Together with foreign aid, Malaysians from all parts of the country contributed to the Grey Relief Fund totalling more than RM6.2 million to assist 25,800 victims, in addition to the State Government allocation of RM9 million.
Twelve districts were affected by the storm involving 256 kampungs where 4,924 houses were partially or totally destroyed by strong winds and flood, leaving 25,800 persons homeless. 238 persons were confirmed to have died in the disaster and another 102 reported missing.
Victims had received assisstance in the form of materials for rebuilding their homes, a wide range of food items, clothing, household goods, educational needs for schoolgoing children and toys for the younger ones.
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