PAPAR, Oct 1 — A total of 332 relief centres have been identified and prepared throughout Sabah to deal with disasters, especially floods and heavy rains during the North-east Monsoon later this year.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Duties) Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the relief centres were capable of accommodating a total of 129,096 people, while other proactive measures were also being taken to ensure that all parties were well prepared.

He said there was positive feedback from the Sabah government in facing the monsoon this year, and based on the experience last year, 15 districts in Sabah were affected by floods with 103 relief centres activated involving 17,565 victims.

"I also call on all District Disaster Management Committees to ensure that preparations and coordination at the district level are carried out immediately to coordinate agencies as well as NGOs (non-governmental organisations),” he told reporters after attending the ‘Jaringan Komuniti Madani’ (Jakma) programme here, today.

On September 14, Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director-general Helmi Abdullah said the monsoon transition phase was expected to start on September 19 and continue until November.

On September 27, the Sabah State Disaster Management Committee Secretariat announced that the flood that occurred in the Beaufort district since September 22 had fully subsided, with 134 flood victims placed at the Selagon Hall having been allowed to return home. — Bernama