PENANGITES AWASH WITH ANGER
Residents fed up of cleaning and replacing spoilt household items after third flash flood in a month
FURIOUS and irritated. These words are probably too mild to describe the emotions of residents of Kampung Makam and Jalan P. Ramlee here, who are living in misery due to frequent flash flooding in their areas.
Both villages were struck again by flash floods early yesterday, triggered by a continuous downpour and made worse by the high tide.
In some low-lying areas, floodwaters rose to waist-level by 2.30am, submerging homes. Several inundated main roads were impassable to motorists.
To further compound matters, the warning siren to alert Kampung Makam villagers of a possible inundation was faulty – and has been faulty for some time.
This is the second flood in two weeks since the Sept 15 major deluge crippled many parts of Penang. It is the third flash flood to strike the state this month.
Samsudin Mansor, 57, said he and other villagers had been on standby when it started raining heavily past midnight. Within an hour, his house was submerged in knee-deep muddy floodwaters.
Samsudin said life was just returning to normal for his family after they gave their house a good scrub following the Sept 15 incident.
“Now, this (flash flood) happens again, and we have to deal with the mess again. It is like a never-ending cycle.
“Where is the state authority? What are they doing about this? Why isn’t anyone here to help and hear us out?
“I am fed up. Enough is enough,” he said, adding that although flash floods were nothing new, the deluges had worsened over the past five to six years.
Samsudin said he was sick and tired of having to replace new electrical appliances and furniture after each flash flood.
“We are poor people. How can we afford it each time? It looks like we have to make do with whatever we have now,” he said at his house yesterday.
Zaini Musa, 55, said her nephew, Hazreen Shah Shamsudin, 22, who moved in with her three weeks ago, was traumatised after having gone through two floods in two weeks.
“We want the state authorities to take proactive measures to put a stop to the flash floods,” she said, adding that she had applied for the one-off RM400 payment from the state government following the Sept 15 flash floods.
Halizah Din, 65, cut a forlorn figure, sitting in her living room, filled with muddy floodwaters.
“There is nothing I can do. I need to wait for the water from the river to subside before I can remove the water from my house. Looks like it will take days before I can live in a clean house again.”
Halizah, who has lived here for nearly 40 years, said she was beyond furious and annoyed.
“I am so angry, beyond words. When will we ever get to enjoy a comfortable stay? I am so tired; very, very exhausted,” she said.
As for Mohd Izzuari Awang, 31, who lives a stone’s throw away from Sungai Makam, dirty, smelly floodwaters still filled his home.
He said the warning siren did not go off, warning villagers that the river’s water level had breached the warning and subsequent danger level.
“Even on Sept 15, the warning siren did not sound, causing severe damage back then. Whose fault is it? Why wasn’t the warning siren repaired?
“Have we not suffered enough? No one seems to care about our safety and wellbeing. This is so disappointing,” Izzuari added.
During the New Straits Times visit to the area, a Penang Island Municipal Council lorry was seen on site, with staff working to reried move a thick layer of mud covering the main road.
In Penampang, continuous downpours brought floods to several villages here as water level at the main river here rose and spilled over to low-lying areas.
Penampang district native chief Brian Matasing said the heavy rain in the upstream area had caused floodwaters to flow down the Moyog river.
“The heavy rain started at 1.30pm and it became worse when the river water spilled over and submerged several roads and villages.
Matasing said the landslide had obstructed vehicular movement but clearing works had been car-
out in the area.
He noted Kolopis, Koimadang, Penampang Proper, Sugud, Limbanak, Nampasan, Kibabaig and Putaton areas were also badly affected by the flood.
The rain caused Moyog river to rise and spill over to nearby villages.
Based on a report by the Sabah civil defence department, three roads — Jalan Kampung Kambau, Jalan Jambatan Kolopis and Jalan Kibabaig — remained impassable by small vehicles as at 5.30pm.
Low-lying villages were also affected by floods brought by heavy rains in Kota Belud since yesterday.