If I remember correctly, the last time it happened was way back in 1993 – December 25th, Christmas night. It poured buckets the whole night through and at 4.00 a.m. my neighbour called telling me to move my car quickly. I bolted out of the house, drove the car to higher ground and waded back home in the knee-high flood waters. When I entered the house, I saw that the water had come into the living room – the Christmas presents, the Australian sheepskin floor rug were all swimming around.
I alerted my wife and the maid (I had one then) and in a jiffy, we moved the refrigerator and the gas cooker upstairs and then started to shift the other things to a higher level. The water subsided the next day when the rain stopped…but by evening, it rose to an even higher level – up the split level until two steps up the staircase. We were stranded for three days but at least, we could do the cooking as the two most essential items were salvaged in time. (After the flood had subsided, I had to call 10 young and strong students to the house to get the refrigerator down! Amazing what strength one may have in an emrgency!) All my neighbours could not save anything – their refrigerator, piano…all those were submerged and damaged in the flood that year. What had caused it then? Well, they were constructing a bridge or doing some works along one of the tributaries of the Sungai Merah and had obstructed the drainage. There wasn’t any flood in much of the other parts of town that were not within the vicinity of the watershed.
Well, it has happened again this year – January, 2009…and I’m not really sure what the reason is this time. For one thing, it had been raining cats and dogs non-stop for the last three days. On Sunday morning, a friend of mine from the Ulu Sg Merah/Nang Sang area had driven through the flood and he and his family were safely on dry ground before his Unser broke down. They took refuge at my house the whole day and by evening, when the flood had worsened and the rain showed no sign of abating, he hired a lorry to send them back to their house, leaving his car at my place.
By nightfall, the water had reached my place and this was the scene from my water-filled car porch when I woke up on Monday morning…
(Looks familiar, Stanleycarter? LOL!!!) Just an inch or two and the water would have entered the house…
By afternoon, the water had subsided and the sun came out for some three hours or so. At least, there were glimpses of blue sky among the clouds and other than some slight drizzle now and then, it did not actually rain for the rest of the day.
Like in 1993, much of Sibu town including the flood-prone Lanang Road was not affected, so I reckon it has got something to do with the drainage into Sungai Merah, aggravated by the king tide at this time of the month. All I could do was to pray that the weather would hold all through the night and the wretched flood waters would not be back…
I think it did rain a bit in the night but the water level is much lower this morning. It looks like the worst has passed…
P.S.
You can hop over to victorkiu.com to see photos of the more severely-stricken areas.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Hope you there everything fine. :O)
So far, so good…and hope you’re fine at your end too!
Oh dear… luckily the water didnt get into the house. The weather in kuching yesterday was fine but by 530pm, the low lying areas in the city was flooding again… due to the king tide. Was looking from my office window how the river swell and eventually burst its banks… the malay kampungs by the river were flooding and so was petanak, india street and padungan area. Some people were probably shocked to see their cars surrounded by water as they left the office as it was rather sunny yesterday afternoon.
Saw the pics in the papers. Looked pretty bad!! Roads must be terribly jammed?
ahah…u do need an ark soon
Thought u’re building one. U said you’re reserving the presidential suite for me, remember? Hahahahaha!!
I read it on paper. Yeap, hopefully the worse is over. =)
It certainly looks so. At my place, the water’s gone down…and hope no more rain storms!
I think Philip from rubberseeds.blogspot.com got really nice pictures of flood around town.
Eh, your place can flood wan meh? I’ve always thought that our area will never get flooded wan. My place never flood wan, at most also the drain half full only. If my place flooded I think Sibu town will submerge in water already. Hehe!
Last evening, on my way back from work, whole Kuching jam because of flood. From my office, overlooking the river, the river water level was very high up. A couple of feet more will overflow liao.
And this morning my colleagues talked about nothing but flood, since I came in until as I am typing this.
Your place higher than mine and my place higher than many parts of Sibu. My MIL’s place near yours, other places flood they also did not know…but this time, their drain also full…but did not overflow! Flood due to non-stop heavy rain + high tide + something wrong with the drainage into Sg Merah. They should go and look into that last one!
The weather seems quite ok today, the water level dropped a lot this morning, which is good as I thought the water might come into the house.
Let’s hope we have better weather and free from flood problems during CNY.
Yalor…but we can visit one another, no problem. Just swim across! Hahahahahahaha!!!!
there’s a landslide in my campus :S
You saw in the papers…the landslide at the cemetery here? Eyew…so sial! Dead already, still no peace!
I hope the rain will stop in your part of the world n come here instead,we need them desperately! So really hope the flood will subside soon n you all will have a nice n bright n sunny n dry CNY! A little flooding can be fun but when it gets too much,can be a real headache!
Take all the rain you want…and the flood too! LOL!!!
This is bad. Especially when CNY is coming. Hope you’re fine and everything is ok.
Never better, and all’s ok! Thanks. At least, the water did not go into the house…so it’s fine by me!
it’s good no one is playing the blame game here. how often do you get to waddle in the water? no need to spend money to go to water world or sunway waterpark, when you can have it for free at your own backyard.
I dunno why they bother! Like the dog barking at the moon! Not that anybody’s going to read their blogs…and even if they do, what makes them think that they care? At best, there’ll be some token resurfacing of the roads, making them higher…and the vicious cycle continues!
Ya…and we got free water to clean our car porch and driveway – all ready for Chinese New Year! LOL!!!
Sure hope that the sun won’t go down on us. Here in KK also raining mad. Am praying that the Moyog River near my house won’t get over-flowed. Worst flood ever occur in my kampung is in 1998, water reached up to waist level in our kitchen downstairs.
Gosh! U better pray harder! Looks like the rain-bringing winds/clouds have moved in that direction – Bintulu > Miri > KK!!!
I think it should be ok already. I’ve been checking this link since sunday:
http://infobanjir.scadatron.net/sarawakw.asp
It’s updated hourly, and you can a graph so you know the trend of the water levels.
Ya…pretty dry now. Still got water in the drain outside the house, that’s all…and fine weather all day…almost! Sunny right now!
*……you can look at the graph……”
So things are looking better in Kuching too, I hope?
wow…kuching also flooding now >.<
Oops…spoke too soon! Not getting better there yet? Must be the water coming downriver from Bau. Here, the towns upriver all pretty dry…so not likely to have very severe tides! Just heavy localised rain and poor drainage.
Chipmunk said this is the worst flood to hit Kuching he’s ever seen, referring to a few flooded places in town. I told him, “Wait till you see Sibu” LOL!
Your area (newer) is higher than mine and has big and deep drains…but mine is higher than many other parts of Sibu so usually spared as well. My MIL’s house nearer to urs…and eveytime they did not know there’s a flood but this time, the drains were full…just that they did not overflow! Kuching pretty bad too…especially in Batu Kawa, I hear?
yea…working on it..lol..dun come and spy ar..hard 2 get resources also..lol
CNY…all loggers home, so no timber!!! Too bad! I think I’ll just try and catch a crocodile to save myself! Hahahahaha!
Heard from a reliable source that the rain clouds have moved to Sabah….hope it’s no longer there when I go over for CNY! Nothing worse than sitting at home, wishing for the sky to stop pouring.
Pray harder! People in Miri complaining about nonstop heavy rain…and in KK too!! And beginning of the month, usually King tide also!!!
Someone is celebrating an anniversary tonight so the witchdoctors are busy holding up the rain and pushing off the clouds. Lets hope its not accumulated up in the skies and released tomoro…. will definitely need an ark then. hehe.
I thought got toyol or something??? Hahahahahaha!!!!
wuah, my whole family moved to aunt’s house coz the road out is flooded, sis said if walk thru that water, whole body itches
Where’s ur house? Nang Sang too? That big one near the roundabout kah? Oooo…gigantic bungalow! Too bad flood-prone! Hahahahahahaha!!!!
The water is very dirty. be careful..
That’s the colour of the withered leaves that have fallen into the water – like tea but the water’s very clear. That’s why it’s called Sg Merah. The fllod situation around my housing area is pretty ok now, thanks.
Btw, my friend’s aunt’s flight in the morning (Sunday) finally left for Kuching around 7 pm…and my friend going back to Melcourne could not…as SBW-KLIA flight cancelled. MAS crew on strike again? Because CNY no off days? Hahahahahahaha!!!!
i think the worst is over.
King Tide twice a month…. LOL!!!
i had no choice but to use Pedada Road, I have been very busy playing host to a guest from KL and he had lots of errants to run.
Blogger? Which part of Pedada? Near Sacred Heart traffic lights? The people staying there should stage a protest…just go and sit on the road and refuse to budge!!! Even slight rain, no high tide…that road already flooded, especially the side going to town!!! But sinking very bad for one thing! They’ve resurfaced the road to make it higher many times!!! Maybe should close the road for big vehicles e.g. lorries!!!
what la.. i’m near to the front, in front of su lai school, very big muddy pool… dad said, if this flood continues, whole family might move to some place else
Water going down already leh? But very very slowly…roadside drains almost stagnant. Your side still flooded? Tell ur dad to complain to authorities…ask them go and check where the blockage is! No rain, no high tide…water STILL not going down!!!
crocodile ah????ure the next crocodile hunter???yay…new documentary coming out soon!!!must watch!!!
LOL!!! The hunter like sumo wrestler…sure the crocs don’t stand a chance!