ENDING THE NIGHTMARE
MONSOON rains are swamping many of the same areas once again. But folks are determined not to let the inundation upend their lives once more.
SUNGAI Isap Damai residents here are still haunted by the sudden surge of floodwaters in December 2011. They were caught unawares and had little time to prepare for evacuation.
As flood victims were ensuring that their family members were accounted for, Naim Zulkifli and his mother, Saadiah Abu Bakar, were rushing to get their 32 cats to safety.
“It happened so fast. It took only hours for our homes to be inundated.
“The gushing floodwaters felt like a huge current and it turned our living room into a river,” Naim, 27, told the New Sunday Times.
“My two brothers grabbed our important documents, while stacking whatever they could find on top of each other so that the cats could climb up.
“We used books, boxes, tables, shelves and cabinets for our cats to seek shelter.”
He remembered breaking the plaster ceiling to create a higher shelter for the cats.
He said authorities, who were helping residents, called out to them to hurry up.
As the family left their house, they could only pray that their cats were safe.
“We were sent to a flood-relief centre at SK Bukit Rangin and remained there for a week before returning home.”
Naim, who was 19 then, remembered being overwhelmed by sadness upon discovering the condition of their house.
“My neighbourhood was like a war zone. It was total destruction. Cars, houses and trees were damaged. I saw animal carcasses by the roadside... chicken, cows and goats.”
When he arrived at his house, his heart sank.
“I was grief-stricken when I saw my cats... dead. It was a horrifying sight and the emotional trauma haunts me to this day.”
Naim said only six of the cats survived.
“One of my cats who survived died not long after that. He seemed fine, but when I took him to the veterinarian, I was told that it had suffered trauma.”
After the nightmarish episode, Naim said his family raised the floor of their house and built a storage space in the roof to keep their belongings.
Saadiah said villagers took various initiatives to reduce losses.
“We bought steel and solid wood furniture.”
She thanked the authorities and non-government organisations for assisting them after the flood.
In Kuala Berang, a food stall operator has begun storing goods at the top of his premises.
Bernama reported that Safari Ishak, 49, said he built the storage compartment at his stall a few days ago.
“I started this food stall 20 years ago and I experienced the worst floods ever in 2006 with total losses amounting to RM20,000.
“Because of that, I decided to build the loteng (attic),” he said when met at the flood-relief centre in Pengkalan Ajal, near Ajil, yesterday.
Kamariah Mohamad, 69, said her son woke her up at 2am to take her to the flood-relief centre following heavy rain.
“The floodwaters rose to waist level. My son used a boat to send me to the flood-relief centre.”
Hulu Terengganu member of parliament Datuk Rosol Wahid said he was at the Dewan Rakyat in Kualal Lumpur and had to rush back to his constituency at 5pm on Friday.
“The flood preparations by the authorities have been systematic and efficient.”
A total of 67 victims from 28 families sought shelter at the flood relief centre when their homes were flooded on Friday. Page 1 pic: Faizan Mohd Din carrying his goat in floodwater in Kampung Sungai Isap, Kuantan, on Dec 5, 2013