Flood of misery
Traumatised by last week’s floods, many worry whenever it pours
A30-MINUTE downpour yesterday afternoon was more than enough to send shivers down the spine of Penangites, who were affected by last Saturday’s major floods and storm.
Many victims feared a recurrence of last week’s incident, which paralysed many parts of the state.
Hamir Rudin, 55, from Kampung Masjid in Jalan Zoo Air Itam, said he was worried when it started to rain heavily about 12.30pm, and had prayed hard that the rain would not prolong.
“I am still shaken by last week’s floods, where floodwaters rose as high as the ceiling of the first floor.”
Hamir’s house, located several metres from Sungai Air Putih, was still a mess. Many parts of the walls and windows were broken after the floods.
The family was left with only the clothes on their back, and estimated their losses to be about RM25,000.
“It will take a while before life returns to normal as we are not well off,” he said.
Hamir recounted how floodwaters swallowed the first floor of his house in just five minutes last week. Even his car was swept to the main road.
“Every time the clouds get dark or it rains, the whole family panics. But, what can we do?” he said, adding that last week’s floods were the worst since his family moved to the area 30 years ago.
Housewife, Roszaini Husain, 48, who stays beside the same river, said she panicked when the water in the river rose to the same level as its bank when it rained yesterday.
“I was out when my mother, Rahmah Idris, 75, called me to return home.
“We have been rattled by last week’s floods. We are worried each time it rains.
“It was only 30 minutes of rain today and the water in the river had reached its bank. Imagine if it had rained longer.”
She said they had been having sleepless nights since last week’s floods.
“Luckily, my sister and I dragged our mother to safety. We waded through chest-deep floodwaters. When we went to the main road, all we could see was the roof of my house,” she said, adding that they, too, were left with the clothes on their back.
Since then, Roszaini said, she had put her important documents in a file so that she could just grab it if she faced similar situations in the future.
“We were told there would be a second and third wave, but we hope that does not happen.
“That experience is enough to haunt us for a lifetime,” she said, adding that they had completed only 40 per cent of the cleaning process.
All 40 houses in Kampung Masjid were badly affected by the floods and 30 cars were swept away. There are more than 200 people living in the village.
The road to the village was still covered in mud, although Roszaini said it had been cleaned up by the Penang Island City Council a few times.
In Jalan Shaik Madar in Air Itam, civil servant Muhizam Muhsin, 36, said he was rattled when it rained heavily yesterday afternoon.
“I went to take a look at Sungai Air Itam and the current was strong. Our house is near two rivers — Sungai Air Itam and Sungai Air Putih. So, if it floods, it will affect us badly.
“We have lived through last week’s experience and we hope we don’t have to go through it another time,” Muhizam said at his house.
A 30-minute downpour swept through parts of Penang yesterday prompting many to take to social media to express their concerns.
Although there was no untoward incidents, the rain brought with it muddy water in Paya Terubong, where several developments are going on.
Video footage of the water gushing down from the hill has made its way into social media.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department had forecasted thunderstorms and heavy rain accompanied by strong winds in Penang and several northern states.
Page 1 pic: Muhizam Muhsin is despondent at his home in Jalan Shaik Madar in Air Itam yesterday.