KELANTAN FOLK HAVE ‘ADVANTAGE’

Hardy flood victims say they gained valuable experience from past disasters

KELANTAN flood victims are a hardy and confident lot despite having to face the annual flooding which submerges their homes.

They feel the experience they gained as victims from numerous previous floods, including the huge one in 2014, is “an advantage” to them in facing the annual deluge.

One of them is 90-year-old Ibrahim Nor Yusof. The father of three said the first time he faced a flood was when he was 10.

“For me, seeing my home being inundated and how my parents rescued us almost every year during the monsoon season taught me a lot.

“They had waded across the swollen river and carried us and our belongings to higher ground.

“Those were the kind of scenes I grew up in — they served me well.”

Sharing the same experience was 70-year-old housewife Makalsum Ahmad.

“It is not that we (flood victims) refuse to move immediately each time floodwaters inundate our village, but we are waiting for the appropriate time to do so.

“We will move to the flood relief centres when we are ready,” said the mother of four, from Kampung Banggul Kulim.

Pasir Mas police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohamad Roy Suhaimi Sarif advised flood victims not to practise last-minute evacuation as it would make it difficult for rescue team members.

“They have a lot of work during the monsoon season.

“Therefore, it is better for the flood victims to adhere to the authority’s directive each time they are ordered to evacuate and avoid last-minute packing,” he said.