Year: 2022

PASIR MAS, Dec 26 (Bernama) — Several flood victims in Kampung Tersang, Rantau Panjang, here have expressed concern that their wooden houses are decaying as a result of frequent flooding.

 

Che Ali Che Mud, 60, said that for the past two years, the inherited house he lived in was often hit by floods causing the walls and floor to collapse.

 

“As my house always suffers damage (from floods), I received a donation of new wood panels to replace the floor in October. But I haven’t had the chance to replace it as my house was submerged up to the roof last Sunday.

 

 

 

“We only use wood panels that are commonly produced which get warped easily every time floods hit,” he said when met by Bernama at his home, here today.

 

Che Ali claimed that a flood mitigation project located about 200 metres from his house, has caused the flood issue in Kampung Tersang to turn more serious over the past two years.

 

Che Ali said that usually after the rain has stopped floodwaters would remain stagnant and take up to two weeks to recede.

 

 

 

He added the situation had forced him and his two sons to stay longer at the relief centre during the flood season.

 

Another resident, Joh Che Wil, 80, said the frequent floods had also caused several damages to his semi-wooden house.

 

“I was forced to replace my wooden floor and furniture as they had suffered severe damage,” she said.

 

As such, she urged the relevant parties to take immediate action to resolve the stagnant floodwater issue in the village.

 

 

 

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

 

TUMPAT, Dec 26 (Bernama) — Zauyah Deraman, 36, hopes for nothing less than a miraculous solution from the government to stem the ‘yellow wave’ of flood and despair that swamps the states on the East Coast every year, especially Kelantan.

 

Zauyah, who is physically disabled (PWD), said she can’t bear it anymore to see her house damaged and personal belongings thrown away with every cycle of muddy waters.

 

“People not affected by floods don’t know how we feel as victims every year. It is heart-breaking to see everything soaked beyond repair. Every year we have to buy new things,” said Zauyah at her home in Kampung Ana here today.

 

 

 

Zauyah, who lives with her mother Fatimah Yusof who is a frail 74, said the flood this time was the worst ever where the rising waters in the house reached up to 0.7 metres.

 

She said floodwaters started pouring into her house since Monday afternoon and rose sharply towards nightfall, causing her to immediately seek out a friend to help move the furniture to a higher place.

 

“We thought it was safely perched but the flood this time was higher than the last time in March,” she said

 

 

 

The yellow wave forced her and her mother to take shelter at the temporary evacuation centre (PPS) of SMK Chabang Empat for six days since last Monday and only returned home two days ago.

 

“Reaching home, I was shocked to see the mess with the furniture still standing in water. And aghast to see the damaged walls and the rotten floor after being submerged in water for so long,” she said.

 

Adding to the grief of Zauyah, who is disabled in both arms and legs, the washing machine and refrigerator were also damaged.

 

“In my condition with a sickly mother, it is impossible for us to wash clothes by hand,” she bemoaned the obvious.

 

And the obvious is, the youngest of the seven siblings would welcome any kind soul to donate a new washing machine.

 

For immediate respite, she was grateful that a Good Samaritan came forward to wash her house yesterday.

 

“If there is no one to clean it, we will have little choice but to sleep with the slime,” she said, while taking pains to explain that her other siblings reside outside Kelantan and some were also not spared the annual tide of flood and despair.

 

 

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 26 (Bernama) — The number of flood evacuees in Kelantan and Sabah tonight recorded a drop with Sarawak reporting a slight increase, while the situation in Terengganu and Perak remained unchanged.

 

The number of residents in Sabah coastal areas who were evacuated to temporary relief centres (PPS) due to the high tide phenomenon, was reported to have decreased.

 

In KELANTAN, the numbers dipped to 1,235 evacuees (from 428 families) tonight, compared with 1,511 people (from 515 families) reported in the afternoon.

 

 

 

The Kelantan Disaster Management Committee (JPBN) Secretariat, in a statement, said all evacuees were placed at five PPS in Pasir Mas and Tumpat districts.

 

In SABAH, the number of people evacuated in Kota Belud has dropped to 135 people (from 56 families) tonight compared with 139 people (57 families) reported earlier.

 

PPS at Sekolah Kebangsaan Pekan hall currently housed 62 people (26 families), while 73 people from 30 families are placed at the PPS Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Chung Hwa hall.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, the number of evacuees along the coastal areas, who were evacuated due to the high tide phenomenon has dropped to 1,454 people (from 299 families) tonight compared with 1,506 people (314 families) recorded earlier.

 

PPS Dewan Muhibbah Sembulan in Kota Kinabalu was closed tonight, while 686 evacuees (from 122 families) were transferred to a PPS in Sandakan, and 768 people (from 177 families) were moved to six PPS in Pitas.

 

In SARAWAK, PPS Kampung Lutong in Sebuyau was opened late this afternoon following continuous rain since Friday, according to JPBN Sarawak.

 

This brings the number of PPS operating in the state to two and a total of 91 people have been evacuated as of 7 pm.

 

Another PPS in operation is PPS at Kampung Rimba Padi multipurpose hall in Serian.

 

In TERENGGANU, the flood situation remained unchanged with 138 people still housed at two PPS.

 

The JPBN secretariat said Besut is the only district still affected with two PPS still operating, namely the Masjid Kampung La (126 people) and Kg Pantai (12 people).

 

In PERAK, the situation remained unchanged as of 8 pm with 62 people (from 14 families) taking shelter at a PPS as the flood water has not receded.

 

The Perak JPBN secretariat said the PPS at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Abd Rahman Talib (SMART) in Hilir Perak is the only PPS currently operating.

 

He said the weather conditions were good and all evacuees will be allowed to return home once the situation is safe.

 

 

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

The last dead victim of the landslide tragedy at the Father’s Organic Farm campsite in Gohtong Jaya, Batang Kali, has been identified.

 

The National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), in a statement today, said the victim was identified as an 11-year-old boy Eng Shao Qi.

 

It said that the post-mortem had been carried out, and the body was handed over to the kin by the Sungai Buloh Hospital Forensics Department.

 

 

 

 

“Four methods were used to identify the victim, namely DNA, fingerprint, dental records and identification by next of kin through personal belongings or unique bodily marks,” the statement read.

 

The remains of the last victim were found in a sleeping bag about four metres from the camping site in Sector A at 4.53 pm yesterday, putting an end to the search and rescue operation for the victims of the deadly landslide.

 

The incident, which occurred at 2.42 am on Dec 16, claimed 31 lives, with 61 people rescued out of a total of 92 victims involved.

 

 

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

The search and rescue (SAR) operation of the landslide tragedy at the camp site of Father’s Organic Farm, Gohtong Jaya which ended today left profound effect on the various members of the rescuing team.

 

Hulu Selangor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) head Ahmadi Muhamad Hasan said apart from from the physical exertion, the emotion of personnel was also affected during the nine-day SAR operation.

 

Recalling the efforts to search for victims of the tragedy, he said the soft earth and rainy weather also hampered movements and demanded the perseverance of rescuers.

 

 

 

“It cannot be denied that the emotion of the team at ground zero is sometimes severely challenged when they failed to find any victim or new indications on their whereabouts submerged under the landslide earth,” he told Bernama at the Incident Post here today.

 

Ahmadi said the rescuers were given mental therapy and words of encouragement to raise their morale to continue looking for victims.

 

Despite the discovery of the bodies of four family members who were the 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th victims on the seventh day of the search, he said the SAR operation continued to face difficulties.

 

 

 

“To find just one more victim in a very wide area of almost 15 acres is very difficult,” he said.

 

Ahmadi said that in addition to digging and excavation works involving excavators, rescue workers with tracking dogs had to search the same area many times to locate victims.

 

“Thank God, finally at around 4.30 pm yesterday, we managed to find the last body. As a rescue team, finding a victim is the most effective medicine to remove all our fatigue,” he said.

 

Earlier, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani officially ended the SAR operation for the victims of the landslide tragedy at 12 noon, after he confirmed that there were no more victims involved or missing in the incident.

 

In the early morning incident on Dec 16, a total of 92 victims were involved, 61 of whom survived, while 31 died. Of the number of casualties, 18 were adults and 13 were children, including a one-year-old baby.

 

In total, 20 bodies were found in sector A (hill view), one in sector B (farm view) and another 10 in sector C (river side).

 

 

 

Source: BERNAMA News Agency