BATU PAHAT: Close to 20 days after they were forced out of their home by the floods here, livestock farmer Saiful Amri Tumiran and his family have finally returned to their home in Kampung Temehel.
However, the 36-year-old has no reason to smile as he is now faced with an even more daunting task – discarding all of his family’s belongings before giving the house a good scrub.
“The stagnant waters may have receded, but they left a bad stench. All of our clothes, furniture and appliances are soiled. We have no choice but to throw them all away.
Daunting task: Saiful Amri looking at the mess at his home in Kampung Temehel, Batu Pahat.
“My children’s school uniforms and our brand new Hari Raya clothes were all washed away by the floods.
“My income is also affected as most of my goats and cows were killed in the floods. Only a few survived by running to higher ground.
“I feel helpless as we are not left with much after we were forced to evacuate from our home more than two weeks ago when floodwaters rose rapidly on March 2,” he told The Star.
At that time, the farmer brought his wife and three young children to the SK Taman Kota temporary relief centre.
He stayed with several villagers at a makeshift post that was set up near the village to make it easier for them to patrol the area on boats to stop looters.
“I plan to find a temporary place to rent while I clean up my house. I think it will take me up to a month to sort out the mess, which includes my cow and goat pens.
“My wife is also six months pregnant, and I want to provide her with a more comfortable place to stay.
“With the Ramadan fasting month starting in another two days, it will also give us a cleaner place to have our pre-dawn meals and to break our fast,” said Saiful Amri.
He added that the floods in Batu Pahat this time were worse than the 2006/2007 major Johor floods, as the water reached his roof.
Manager Lim Kian Ong, 46, said his family had been busy scrubbing and cleaning their home in Taman Melati here for the past few days in hopes of getting rid of the foul odour.
He said most of their belongings were destroyed by floodwaters that reached as high as 1.2m.
“I think it will take us another two weeks to completely clean our house, as the murky waters left tough stains and a stench everywhere, even on the roads outside.
“My family also wants to wait for the authorities to thoroughly clean and disinfect the roads and surroundings before moving back home.
“My children have sensitive skin and we are worried about our health and the possibility of contracting bacterial diseases like leptospirosis and thyphoid,” said the father of three.
Lim added that they are staying at his friend’s house for the time being.
