Villagers prepare for high tide phenomenon
KUALA NERUS ( Terengganu): Villagers in Kampung Baru Seberang Takir here are doing all they can to face the high tide phenomenon, which is expected to last till Wednesday.
Checks showed that villagers had begun placing sandbags in front of their homes to prevent seawater from gushing in.
Jarah Pik, 88, said her family had made a 20m-long sandbag wall to protect their home.
“My family members started placing the sandbags at 8pm on Saturday.
“We have piled up almost 80 sandbags around our compound to prepare for the big waves.
“We really need a lot of sandbags and hope someone will help us,” she said.
“We always place sandbags when the monsoon season arrives because this is an easy way to protect our home.
“We don’t sleep much at night as we are worried about the waves.
“Fortunately, they are not expected be as bad as last year,” added Jarah.
More than 50 homes in the area are at risk of being struck by big waves.
The Meteorological Department issued a warning of strong north-easterly winds of 40-50kph with waves up to 3.5m expected in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and east Johor.
Siblings Rahimah, 37, and Nor Fatehah Sulong, 30, said they were preparing for the worst.
According to Rahimah, the waves would also bring along rubbish which would be trapped underneath her house.
“Last week, the roofs of some of the homes in the village, including mine, were blown off by strong winds.
“We keep our important documents at a safe place as we don’t know what to expect from this high tide phenomenon,” she added. — Bernama