SIBU: The Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) needs to be prepared for another freak storm should one strike the town again.
Its chairman Clarence Ting warned that the council should not be caught off guard as it was during the freak storm that hit Sibu on April 4, 2023.
“The weather is very unpredictable now. Yesterday (Sunday), a powerful storm swept across Kuching, damaging facilities at Kuching International Airport. Trees in Saradise were also uprooted.
“The most recent storm to hit Sibu was in Sibu Jaya, where it caused extensive damage. On Apr 4, 2023, a storm hit Sibu town, uprooting many trees.
“It looks like storms can occur at any time. We should be ready to face them,” said Ting in his keynote address at the SMC full board meeting today.
Ting said the 2023 freak storm had taught the council a valuable lesson — that it should always be prepared for any natural disaster.
During the 2023 storm, about 15 large trees were uprooted. It took the council and the Fire and Rescue Department several hours to clear the trees from the roads as they did not have the necessary equipment.
He now wants the council to have at least two large chainsaws on standby.
“We should have two to three large chainsaws which Bomba can use. Our depot should also stock up on petrol for chainsaw use.
“To the councillors, when a storm hits the town, don’t just sit still but quickly report any damage,” he said.
Separately, councillor Sammy Ngelambai said parking wardens employed by the contractor implementing the smart parking system should be easily identifiable by the public through their uniforms.
“The public has complained that they have difficulty finding the parking wardens as their uniforms are grey. The parking wardens should wear either yellow or orange uniforms so that they are more visible to motorists,” he said.
