JERTEH: A family who once lost their house after it was swept away by floodwater three years ago in Kampung La, Hulu Besut near here, have been suffering from anxiety since, and seem to have a phobia every time it rains heavily and the water level starts to rise.
Suriati Mohd Yusof, 38, said heavy rain from yesterday, which resulted in her village being inundated by floodwater, has been making her edgy and bringing back unpleasant memories that her family had experienced.
“Our home suddenly ‘disappeared’ in the blink of an eye after it was swept away by strong currents during the floods in 2019.
“And now we have just moved into our new house and its construction has yet to be fully completed due to financial constraints,” she said when met at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Kampung La temporary relief centre here this evening.
Suriati, together with her husband Hardi Mazda, 58, and their four children, aged seven to 17, were evacuated to the PPS at 6 pm yesterday after the compound around their house was flooded.
Suriati said that when she saw the water level of Sungai Besut, located near her house, overflowing and beginning to flood the compound, her family could only pray that the same thing would not happen again.
“I don’t know where to live if our house is swept away by floodwater again. We simply cannot afford to rent a house. Previously my husband was a lorry driver but now he is just a rubber tapper,” she said.
Meanwhile, in Setiu, the Malaysia Civil Defence Force (APM) helped evacuate a dialysis patient who was trapped in Kampung Sri Bayas, when the road leading to her home was cut off due to floods.
Wan Khalid Wan Hamat, 64, said that his wife, Noraini Hassan, 56, needed to undergo her dialysis treatment today, but was unable to do so because the bridge connecting their village to the main road was submerged in floodwater when the water level at Sungai Setiu rose sharply since last Thursday.
Wan Khalid said that his wife has other complications like high blood pressure and diabetes. She has relied on dialysis treatment for the past two months and her health is deteriorating, resulting in her being unable to walk.
“That is why we contacted APM for help to bring her to the dialysis centre in Bandar Permaisuri, which is less than 10 kilometres (km) from the house. Later, my son will come and fetch us to his home in Kuala Ibai,” he said.
Wheelchair-bound Noraini was then taken on an amphibious boat for 2.5km to the main road before being transferred into an ambulance to be ferried to the dialysis centre. — Bernama