An aerial view of flooded Paitan on February 21, 2026. Three days on, the same number of 2,071 residents are still camped out at evacuation shelters due to the severe stormy weather. (Malay Mail)
On February 25, the number of flood victims seeking shelter at temporary relief centres in Malaysia’s Sabah state is pset at to 2,616, after it reached a peak of over 5,000 only a day prior. To date, 10 relief centres have been opened as a total of 140 villages across five districts have been affected. These districts are Membakut, Sipitang, Sook, Beaufort, and Pitas.
Floods swept through the state on February 19 following persistent rainfall. As a response, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud, blamed climate change for the disaster. He added that the government is focusing on strengthening information dissemination systems and early weather warnings for high-risk areas.
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