FAMILY of nine seeking shelter at the temporary relief centre in SK Salak, Sepang, wants to move out of their newly rented house in Kampung Lembah Paya that was affected by the floods.
Housewife Ridhwani Adlina Rosli, 30, said her family had just moved into the house a month ago and had no idea of the high flood risk.
“I was staying alert and looking out for signs of flood.
“My husband and I had packed some belongings and kept them on higher ground, but the water rose very quickly after the bund in the nearby Sungai Chinchang broke.
“We could not do much.
“I only managed to grab my children’s birth certificates before my husband, and I fled with our seven children, who were between the ages of 2 and 15, to higher ground by motorcycle.
“We went to a mosque nearby and were directed to the school.
“My husband went back to the house to see if he could salvage anything, but the water level was already at chest level.
“Our other motorcycle had submerged in the floodwaters,” she said.
Ridhwani said she was thankful that her husband was at home when it happened.
“My husband often stayed over at the accommodation provided by his employer in Subang.
“Because of the continuous heavy rain, I asked him to come home just in case of an emergency.
“We have decided to look for another house that is not very close to the river,” she said.
A senior citizen seeking shelter at the school, Rosnani Abu Bakar, 60, said Selangor should provide cash aid to households affected by the floods to help them manage the aftermath.
“Cleaning houses affected by floods is heavy labour.
“I am a single mother with mobility issues, and I live with my daughter, who works as a masseur.
“We do not have much money or the ability to clean the house,” she said.
Selangor public health and environment executive committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin advised those seeking to make any claim to file a police report for flood-related damage or loss.
She said it would help with the process of making any damage claim later.
“Flood victims can remain at the PPS until it is absolutely safe to return home.
“In case of any medical problems, there will be medical officers on standby to provide treatment,” she told reporters during her visit to SK Salak on Saturday (Nov 29).
Jamaliah also said that Selangor would be ready to activate over 1,000 PPS across all districts if needed.
She said all the resources for such a massive effort would be ready by the end of Saturday.
“As of now, less than 5% of their PPS has been activated.
“Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari is very concerned about the situation on the ground and has instructed Selangor executive committee members to check on it personally.
“While we do receive reports on a timely basis, we still want to make sure that what is reported is indeed true,” she said.
According to InfoBencanaJKM website, there are 33 PPS activated across five districts in Selangor, namely in Kuala Selangor, Sepang, Klang, Sabak Bernam and Kuala Langat, providing shelter to a total of 4,311 people from 1,191 families.
Jamaliah also said many of those affected voiced their frustration over the floods they face every year and demanded a better understanding of Selangor’s plan for permanent flood mitigation efforts.
She said that she would convey the concerns to their area representatives to look into the matter.
