Why were stilt houses inundated by the Kinabatangan River overflow?

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Stilt houses were inundated because the Kinabatangan River’s water level rose suddenly after heavy flow from upstream tributaries, pushing floodwaters into homes near the river.

The Kinabatangan River overflowed its banks and floodwaters entered the living rooms of houses located close to the river, even though the homes were built on stilts up to 1.2 metres high. The water level rise was sudden despite there being no rain in the area, and it was linked to heavy flow from Sungai Kuamut and Sungai Pinangoh, tributaries of the Kinabatangan River.
The rise happened suddenly, without local rain
Monitoring from Jan 23 found the water level increased drastically to 9.34 metres, compared with a warning level of 9.3 metres. The danger level was 10.3 metres, and the sudden rise was described as occurring with no rain in the area.
Upstream tributaries drove the surge
The sudden increase was attributed to heavy flow from Sungai Kuamut and Sungai Pinangoh. These waterways are tributaries of the Kinabatangan River, and their heavy flow contributed to the river overflowing its banks.
Houses were close enough for floodwaters to reach living spaces
Even with stilts up to 1.2 metres from the ground, floodwaters still entered the living rooms. This happened because the affected homes were located close to the river, placing them within the inundation area when the river overflowed.
Residents evacuated after the flooding entered homes
Twenty-eight people from eight families, including a week-old baby, were evacuated to the Pangkalan Community Centre after floodwaters entered their living rooms. MCDF supplied food baskets, masks, and hand and partition sanitisers to evacuees while they stayed at the relief centre.

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Why were stilt houses inundated by the Kinabatangan River overflow?

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