He said it was the sixth incident this year and the third to occur in the past month. His home in Kampung Timpangoh Laut here was among the worst hit.
The floods have left the residents feeling helpless, with some houses still under six feet of mud from floods on Sept 15.
They had not been able to clean up when they were again affected by the latest round of flooding caused by heavy rainfall.
The floods yesterday, which also affected other parts of Penampang as well as Kota Kinabalu and the neighbouring district of Papar, were not as bad compared to the Sept 15 incident but his family was not taking any chances.
“This is the norm for us now – we pack our belongings every time it rains heavily,” the 40-year-old farmer told FMT.
“The water reached above chest level. The 11 people in my house including my wife and four children were fortunate to have a relative living on higher ground just opposite our house and we escaped there.
“We also lost a car that was swept away into the Timpangoh river next to our house while our home was damaged after being battered by the strong currents in the Sept 15 floods.”
Sugud is in a rural part of the Penampang district, some 25km from the state capital.
Verus estimated his family had lost over RM20,000 worth of belongings following the incident. His home is also under threat now with the river embankment next to his house damaged by the flood.
“We had yet to finish clearing up the thick mud or repair our house when another flood hit again but fortunately, the water did not come into our home.
“But this is the anxious feeling we get each time there’s a downpour,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sugud flood volunteers’ group coordinator Decy Ebol told FMT that this is a dilemma their group faced after the massive effort to help villagers clean up after the mud floods.
She said almost 60% of the 750 houses in the Sugud area have been cleared of mud and debris before Tuesday’s floods.
“The latest floods have hampered our efforts to help clean up the houses so the people can have liveable conditions,” she said.
She added some of the houses were still under six feet of mud from the Sept 15 floods.
“About 50% of the houses remain without electricity, with many also still without piped water.”
Ebol said this latest incident has also forced them to shelve plans to “slowdown”, as the group, which is operating from a church hall in Sugud, had been distributing items such as food baskets, drinking water, mattresses, cooking utensils, clothing and wheelbarrows to affected villagers since a month ago.
We are still getting requests for help, she said, adding that the group has also sent food baskets and other kinds of assistance to other areas in Penampang severely affected by the flood incidents.
However, she was thankful that the group was still receiving donations and contributions from individuals as well as NGOs.
“We have also used the contributions to rent tractors to help clear the mud and debris from the houses,” she said.
Ebol, a Sugud resident, said she is also proud that Sabahans from all walks of life have been eager to help in the relief efforts, adding many of their volunteers, which could number between 70 and 200, were from outside of Sugud.