Sleepless nights due to heavy rain
KUALA TERENGGANU: People living in flood-prone areas here are on an emotional roller coaster as it has been raining heavily on and off since midnight yesterday, more so as heavy rainfall was predicted from yesterday to tomorrow.
They are wary whenever it rains, and some of them have trouble sleeping following the floods on Tuesday, which destroyed their belongings.
Norhaya Omar, 54, who suffered huge losses after the ground floor of her double-storey house was flooded with 0.5m-deep water, said she could not sleep the next day due to heavy rain after midnight.
“I rested in the living room, with the lights switched on.
“How to sleep when it was raining heavily?
“Tuesday’s incident is difficult to forget. I will sleep only during the day as other people can keep an eye out for floods.”
Her husband, Md Tajuddin Ismail, 65, said he had no plans to move his belongings downstairs because of the weather warning.
He said his children and wife had cleaned up the mess over the last two days, but he would only proceed with rearranging their belongings only when the monsoon season was over.
“We just make do with whatever we have in the living room and kitchen,” he said, adding that he hoped the state government would help his family.
Roshida Abdullah, 47, from Kampung Lubok Kawah in Kemaman, said she had became afraid whenever there was prolonged heavy rainfall.
“Last night (Wednesday) was very stressful.
“I am worried about having my house flooded as it is in a low-lying area.
“We have cleaned up the house. However, we dare not buy new furniture as the weather is unpredictable.”
State Civil Defence Department director Lieutenant-Colonel Adam Abdul Rahman said three flood-relief centres in Kemaman had ceased operations, adding that the only one operating was at SK Chendering here, which is housing seven people from three families.
He said the department was on standby for any eventuality and liaising with other departments regarding updates on river water levels and rainfall volume.