KOTA KINABALU: Hundreds of families in Sugud were on the road to recovery from a devastating mudflow on Sept 15 when another round of floods swept tonnes of mud right back into their homes.

       However, the mud floods triggered by severe rainfall from the tail end of Typhoon Kompasu on Tuesday was not as bad as the previous inundation which left some homes in up to three metres of mud and debris.

       “The latest flood has taken us many steps back,” said Decy Ebol, a local resident who has been working with other volunteers over the past month to help coordinate assistance for the villagers.

       Some 2,500 villagers living in some 750 houses were affected by the floods and mud flow that left a trail of destruction in Sugud, an area within the hilly terrain of the Crocker Range about 25km from the city here.

       “We managed to clean the houses and make them liveable. However, the heavy rain on Tuesday reversed at least 40% of whatever we achieved so far,” said Ebol, whose volunteers – and a hired tractor – had helped villagers remove tonnes of mud from the badly affected houses and clear some roads.

       Sabahans have rallied to help the residents in Sugud, donating cash and items like foodstuff, bottled water, cooking utensils and clothing worth about RM700,000.

       Working from a village church hall, the volunteers, numbering between 70 and 200, continue to get calls for assistance.

       The team has been planning to wind down but the latest flooding forced them to abort their plan.

       “People are still asking for food baskets and other assistance. We are still getting the support from the public and we continue to help,” said Ebol.

       About half of the houses in Sugud remain without electricity due to severe damage to the main power lines while piped water is also being restored.

       Sugud was the epicentre of floodings in September in the Penampang district, which has been hit badly by six floods this year, including three over the last 30 days.

       The floods have destroyed large tracts of farmland and damaged property, including vehicles belonging to the mainly Kadazandusun folk, many of whom are farmers and self-employed.