Fun in the flood: Children playing in a kayak in front of their flooded home at Kampung Batu 38 near Bukit Merah in Kerian.
KERIAN: About 180 people from Bukit Merah here were evacuated after the area was hit by floods as the situation continues to worsen in the state.
The residents and villagers from Kampung Baru Pisang, Kampung Batu 38, Kampung Batu 40, Kampung Tanjung Bugis, Kampung Parit Mat Keling and Jalan Kolam Air were relocated to the temporary shelter at SK Bukit Merah on Saturday at about 8.30am.
Recalling the incident, factory worker Nazri Mohd Nor said the water began to rise at about 6.30am after he woke up from the commotion outside his house at Parit 3 Alor Setanggok.
“There was a lot of noise outside my home. I could also hear people giving instructions to move to the school.
“I was shocked to see the water level had reached my knees as I got out of bed,” he told The Star yesterday.
The father of three said there was prior warning that the area would be hit by floods on Friday night.
“It was raining at about 8.30pm and people were told to prepare to be relocated. My family and I waited until 2am but everything was still alright,” he said, adding that it rained heavily on Friday.
“Fortunately, I had packed my family's clothings and went straight to the temporary shelter,” he added.
Housewife Saadiah Othman, 58, said the rain at her village at Kampung Parit Mat Keling was not too heavy but was continuous.
“However, the water current that washed into our home was strong,” she said.Saadiah said it was the first flood incident this year at her village, noting that the yet-to-be completed flood mitigation project had slightly checked flooding there.
“The village would be flooded every year prior to the flood mitigation project.
“It has alleviated the flood situation here a lot until now,” she said.
“I believe that the releasing of water from the Bukit Merah dam caused the floods here,” she added.
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