The number has almost quadrupled from the less than 500 who were forced to evacuate from their homes as at 8pm yesterday.
The residents of 26 flooded villages were evacuated by 261 rescuers from various agencies to four shelters in the district.
A spokesperson for the Sabah Civil Defence Force said 440 emergency food kits had been distributed at the shelters.
One married couple at Kampung Taun Gusi Keranjang had a harrowing experience when they were trapped overnight in their flooded house, a rescuer told reporters today.
Strong currents prevented the couple from leaving their home, forcing them to seek refuge on top of a double decker bed and make a hole in the ceiling for air to breathe.
They were rescued eventually and taken to the shelter at the Tun Said community hall, said the rescuer.
The three other shelters are at SMK Taun Gusi 2, SK Pekan and SMA Tun Said.
Yesterday, Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman said the state government had mobilised the necessary resources to assist the flood victims in Kota Belud district.
River sedimentation and land surface runoff, caused by the devastating earthquake that hit nearby Ranau in June 2015, were among the reasons given for the floods.
More than 2,500 people were displaced at the time.
The Sabah government has approved a RM50 million allocation for a flood mitigation project along Sungai Kedamaian, a major river that flows through Kota Belud.
This is the second time in three months that Kota Belud district has suffered from rising waters. In October, the area had experienced its worst floods ever.
Unprecedented Kota Belud floods linked to 2015 quake, says geologist