Floods wash away houses, victims left homeless in Besut

JERTIH: The floods that hit Terengganu have not only damaged property and crops but also washed away several houses in Besut.

One of the house owners, Raja Kamaruddin Raja Muhamad, 58, said his house, in which he, his wife and four children have called home for over 20 years, was destroyed and disappeared in just an instant.

"The incident occurred at around 3am Monday (Dec 19), when I was at the relief centre in SK Kampung La.

"Two more houses near mine were also destroyed after being washed away when the nearby Sungai Besut broke its banks,” he told Bernama on Tuesday (Dec 20).

He said his family was unable to save anything from the house besides a fridge.

Raja Kamaruddin said the floods were worse than the floods that hit Besut in 2000, which had also swept his house away.

"My house was swept away in the 2000 floods, but was not lost completely, so I built a new one with cement but this time it’s all gone.

"The water level is higher this time, an estimated 5m while the currents are swift, faster than before.

"Luckily, my family and I, and all the other victims had evacuated to the relief centre,” the farmer said, urging the government to provide necessary aid to them.

His neighbour, Azlan Mat Diah, 63, was also devastated when his wooden house, located around 100m from Raja Kamaruddin’s house, was destroyed after being swept 20m away from its original site.

"It happened when I was with my wife, Norma Abdullah, 54, and my 24-year-old son at the relief centre.

"The other flood victims and I evacuated on Sunday morning (Dec 18) as the river overflowed but the floodwaters continued to rise drastically till my house, which is not far from the riverbank, was washed away,” the rubber tapper said.

Azlan was, however, able to move his household items, including electrical appliances and clothes, to a safe place earlier.

He also said that the floods are the worst in the past 30 years and hoped that the government would be able to help him and others who have suffered similar tragedies. - Bernama