April’s thunderstorm Sibu’s worst ever

THE freak storm that hit Sibu on April 5 this year is notably one that caught many by surprise.

The severe windstorms struck the riverine town at around 6.30pm that fateful Wednesday evening, causing flash floods in low-lying areas and with trees being uprooted.

Several areas in the Bukit Assek constituency were left without power supply, in what the residents believed was the worst storm to ever strike the city.

Chaos ensued when the sudden gust of wind blew away the stalls and traders’ tents at the Ramadan bazaar at Dataran Tun Tuanku Bujang Phase 2.

Most of the traders were caught off guard by the sudden onset of the cyclonic storm and as seen in videos circulated on the social media, they were seen desperately clinging to their tent poles to save their food items.

Former chairman of Taman Selera Harmoni Sibu Muslim Traders Association, Abdul Taib Rosli, shared his experience with The Borneo Post.

“It was my first time being in-charge of the Ramadan bazaar, and that incident was a total nightmare,” he recalled.

“Three traders’ tents were badly damaged and had to be replaced, and this incurred a loss of about RM10,000 to the organiser,” he said, adding that over ten tents were damaged by the strong wind that evening.

“The traders suffered huge losses too, but thankfully, there were no casualties or injuries,” he noted.

Sibu Community Welfare Society chairman Daniel Ling, meanwhile, said that he had never witnessed such a storm throughout his 50 years of living in Sibu.

“The freak storm had damaged more than hundreds of residential homes and business premises here, where trees were uprooted, roofs were blown off and sections of the ceilings collapsed.

“The mishap had caused power supply interruption and obstructed the traffic flow – never had we encountered such a storm before,” he recalled.

Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Clarence Ting shared this in his Facebook post that evening: “Trees down. Avoid being on the road. Stay home tonight, if possible.”

It was reported that about 15 trees along Jalan Pahlawan were uprooted in the heavy thunderstorm that evening, where some even landed on cars.

Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) Sibu chief Andy Alie, in recalling the incident, said it was the first time that the department received numerous calls for help in that one single day.

SMK Sacred Heart, SMK Bandar Sibu, SMK Tung Hua, SMK Rosli Dhoby and SJK Tung Hua were also severely affected by the violent storm that took place between 7pm and 7.20pm on April 5, a day before the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examination.

Sarawak Education director Datu Dr Azhar Ahmad had told the press that the learning sessions at the affected schools and the STPM examination at SMK Sacred Heart proceeded as usual the next day.

The thunderstorm which had caused major damage to the town area, however, had spared Sibu Airport and its surrounding areas.

“The weather was fine at Sibu Airport during the storm and there were no flight disruptions, except for rain showers after 7pm,” said a representative of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM).

On April 9, the then Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Duties) Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong, who is also Hulu Rajang MP, visited Taman Rejang and Jalan Langsat to inspect the damage and  for the delivery of immediate relief to the affected residents.