2,000 Buddhist society volunteers ready to help with clean up

SHAH ALAM: An army of 2,000 clean-up crew members from a Buddhist organisation is now helping haggard flood victims to get their lives back in order.

With the floodwaters now pumped away, members of Buddhist Tzu Chi Merits Society Malaysia have sprung into action to provide the back-breaking work of cleaning up the affected areas in Taman Sri Muda here.

Its Penang commissioner Datuk Khoo Boo Leong said members from states like Penang, Perak and Johor had joined the operation led by their counterparts in Kuala Lumpur.

“For the next few days, our volunteers will reach out to flood victims in helping with house clean-up,” he said yesterday.

Khoo said 200 volunteers had been deployed on the ground since Thursday to conduct ground assessment and provide immediate assistance.

“Water is receding but many families have not returned home as many roads are either closed or the entries blocked by abandoned cars.

“Tow trucks are facing difficulty moving into affected areas to remove the cars.

“Without the owners at home to unlock for us, we cannot access their properties.

“We are gathering details from those who have returned by helping them with food supply and cleaning up works,” he said.

Describing the scene, Khoo said it was a ‘total loss’ for most homes as water rose to one-storey high, submerging everything on the ground.

“It’s just so sad. Everything they had is gone, from appliances to furniture and anything precious that was not removed to safety in time.

“Those who returned to their homes were crying when they saw us.

“It was heart wrenching to see all their hard-earned valuables and belongings covered in mud and destroyed,” he said.

With seven to 10 volunteers assigned per team, Khoo said it should take between two to three hours to help clean up each house.

Yesterday, the volunteers helped to clean up the affected houses near SK Sri Muda, which was one of the worst hit as flood water rose to the ceiling of the houses.

Meanwhile, both Penang Island City Council and Seberang Prai City Council also sent large teams of experienced clean-up crews on top of machinery to help.