Desperate to get home

Masrizal (right) and Mohd Afzan paddling into the village to check on their houses. — Photos: SAMUEL ONG/The Star

AS HE paddles an inflatable raft towards his flooded home in Kampung Rancangan Tanah Belia (RTB) Bukit Changgang, Masrizal Masrus is filled with trepidation.

He has been gripped with constant worry since floodwaters swamped the relatively new village in Banting, Selangor, on Saturday, forcing the residents to abandon their homes and vehicles.

But now six days later, the 41-year-old technician is finally – thanks to a boat borrowed from a friend – able to make his way home that is still submerged in waist-deep muddy water.

“I was really worried about my house and the unease got the better of me, so I decided to try to get home.

“Half of the house was still submerged in floodwaters, even after six days.

“I just wanted to see the condition of my house even though I think there is nothing much I can salvage,” he told StarMetro.

Masrizal, who is staying temporarily at his other property in Salak Tinggi, Sepang, was devastated that all the furniture was damaged in the flood.

“I also did not manage to save my car,” he lamented.

A check showed that several residents in the area returned home to pick out what they could despite the area being accessible only by boat.

Damaged furniture and other items are placed on the side of the street at Taman Dato NS Maniam, Dengkil after floodwaters subsided on Wednesday.

Gunaseelan Sathasivan, whose family was also affected by the flood that hit the village located about 10km from Dengkil, expressed his unhappiness at the slow response time from the authorities.

Recalling the catastrophic experience, he said the water rushed in about 8pm and came up to his neck within seconds.

“I was starting to get anxious keeping my family safe but around midnight the Fire and Rescue Department came to our aid with a boat to rescue us,” he said, adding that his wife and two children were now staying at their other home in Dengkil.

Yesterday, Gunaseelan decided to brave the waters and visit the village.

“I was worried about my house here and wanted to check up on it,” said the 40-year-old traffic coordinator.

Kampung (RTB) Bukit Changgang village head Muhammad Ali Izzuddin Ahmad Safee, when contacted, said all houses in the village were affected by the flood.

“There are more than 1,000 houses here with over 3,000 residents.

“Some 500 residents have been evacuated to the relief centre at Kota Warisan while others sought refuge elsewhere.

“Efforts to pump out the floodwaters started Tuesday and are ongoing,” he said.

At nearby Taman Langat Murni, water at the commercial area had subsided but that was not the case with the residential area.

Kamalia (left) and her husband trudging through floodwaters while carrying cleaning equipment to their house in Taman Langat Murni.

While floodwaters in most other affected areas in Selangor have receded, residents here still need to trudge through ankle-deep waters before reaching their houses.

Taman Langat Murni resident Kamalia Adnan was frustrated that little was being done by the authorities to address the stagnant water.

“Even the floodwaters at the factory areas nearby have been pumped out but the authorities did not do the same for the residential area.

“We are constantly in fear of a downpour over the next few days as it could worsen the situation,” she said.

The 33-year-old accounts executive said she was now staying with her in-laws in Labu, Negri Sembilan.

“While driving here, it started to rain along the way and I was very afraid of more flooding,” she said when met yesterday.

Meanwhile, several villages surrounding Dengkil town in Sepang are under ankle-deep water, allowing residents to return home.

At Taman Dato NS Maniam, residents were busy cleaning up their houses.

Damaged furniture and appliances were piled up outside the houses along the streets.

Resident Suguna Sagadevan, 40, said the unprecedented flood in the area has destroyed their lives.

“All our furniture and electrical items are gone. We had started cleaning yesterday but the foul smell of the floodwaters remain.

“There is little to no aid from the authorities, just occasional food contributions,” she said, adding that they were asked to pay RM200 to get the damaged furniture collected.

“We already lost so much, how can we afford this,” she complained.