Family watches as home washes away
Personal possessions lost as floods strike quickly on second day
JERTEH: It was nothing short of heart-rending. For the family of Suriati Mohd Yusof, 35, all that they could do was watch helplessly as their home and all their possessions were swept away.
Kampung La, which the family calls home, was under water for six days, much like the rest of Kelantan and Terengganu.
Apart from her home, Suriati also lost personal possessions such as the refrigerator, washing machine and clothes.
The full force of the floods struck on the second day when the zinc roof and floor boards were swept towards the fence of Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung La about 200m away.
Members of the family, with the help of some villagers, carried the zinc sheets and planks back to where her home once stood, hoping to rebuild the house, but the rising water level put paid to any such plans.
Suriati recalled that the floodwaters began flowing into her home at about 10am on the first day.
“The water was rushing in very fast and all we could do was flee with only the clothes on our backs,” she said. “We waded through chest-deep waters to reach the school.”
When the deluge came, her husband Hardi Mazda, 55, a lorry driver, was in Kuala Lumpur. With her were her three children, Adam Danish, 14, Nur Syalina Hartini, 12, and seven-year-old Aliya Danisha, as well as her sister Nur Azila, 19, and a friend Siti Nur Fazlida Mohd Asri, 22.
Kampung La was the worst hit area. At its height, the roads were under three metres of water, effectively cutting the village off from the rest of the world and a lorry, which was in the midst of delivering supplies to the village, had to be abandoned when it was submerged in floodwaters.
Several expectant mothers and disabled children have been airlifted to the Besut Hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, Mercy Malaysia has mobilised its personnel in response to the floods.
A total of 300 hygiene and cleaning kits were sent to Setiu and Besut early yesterday, while three medical personnel were deployed last night to Pasir Mas upon request by Kelantan state authorities.
“We have been preparing for the north-east monsoon with the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) since last month. Our teams have already been on standby since heavy rains began last week,” said Amran Mahzan, executive director of Mercy Malaysia.
In Kelantan, the medical team will join Mercy Malaysia field officers in conducting a mobile clinic for about a week.
With the Meteorological Department predicting another three more waves of floods in the coming weeks, the organisation is seeking public support for its humanitarian work.
Donations can be channelled to Mercy Humanitarian Fund (MBB 5621 7950 4126) or through www.mercy.org.my (Malaysia Relief Fund). All donations are taxexempted.