Floods: Orang Asli continue staying in tents, fear second wave

DENGKIL: Concerned with the possibility of a second wave of floods, residents of Kampung Orang Asli Bukit Tampoi, Seberang here have decided to continue staying in tents set up in a hilly area, not far from their homes.

About 20 Orang Asli families in the village - which was hit by floods on Dec 18 - are still living in 21 tents as their temporary accommodation even though the water has completely receded.

Senja Jampo, 44, said although the village is entering the post-flood phase, the residents are still worried if the floods recur.

"The villagers are aware of the possibility of a second wave of floods. Therefore, all of us decided to continue staying in the tents. Some are still traumatised and shocked over the recent floods. Some of the tents were bought by the residents, while some were donated by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that came to provide assistance to us," he told Bernama.

Senja described the flood disaster as the worst since 1971 when all houses in the village were inundated by water.

Samsir Bindut, 36, said for the moment, the residents would go to their homes during the day to do the clean-up work and return to stay at the tents at night.

"This is a precautionary measure because the village is considered a flood-prone area as it is located near Sungai Langat," he said.

Ramli Ali, 35, said although the residents were not evacuated to a relief centre, they were grateful for the never-ending assistance rendered by the NGOs and the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa).

"Many have helped in terms of food and clothing. They also organise gotong-royong to prepare meals for us," he said.

A Bernama check found that Jakoa officers also helped the affected residents to fill up forms for Bantuan Wang Ihsan (BWI) as well as other assistance - Bernama