JOHOR BARU: Past experiences of being unexpectedly hit by floods have prompted some families to start preparing for the worst-case scenario.
Livestock farmer Shaiful Amri Tumiran, 36, from Yong Peng, Batu Pahat, said he has been busy moving the cows and goats on his farm to higher ground since Sunday.
“It is common for my village to be hit by floods, and we are used to it. However, we did not expect the floodwater to rise as rapidly and high as it did in March last year.
“For the first time, my farm was also affected. I was caught off guard and had no time to move any animals to higher ground.
“Most of my farm animals died, and only six survived. I suffered losses of about RM120,000 as the farm animals that died included hybrid cattle that cost between RM20,000 and RM40,000 each,” he told The Star.
He added that he has moved 16 goats to a hill in his village, and there are still 14 goats and 15 cows left to be transferred.
“For now, I will focus on moving the goats as the pen for the cows is on higher ground. However, if the rain continues, I will move the cows as well,” he said.
University student V. Pavan Vikram, 19, said that his family in Chaah, Segamat, started putting important documents in plastic and waterproof files to prevent losing them as they did last year.
“We really did not expect the flood to be that bad last year. In just hours, the floodwater had covered most of the roads near my house.
“Our focus at that time was to keep each other safe and to get into a shelter. We had no time to think about protecting our belongings, including important documents.
“My father even lost his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree certificates,” he said.
Meanwhile, programmer Ng Wei Siang, 43, said that he is keeping a watchful eye on the water level of Sungai Chaah.
“Many people in Chaah are still affected financially and emotionally from the flood in March last year.
“I have packed some clothes and my 72-year-old mother’s medications in a small bag. For now, I will not move my furniture, but if the weather worsens, I will do that,” he said.
As of press time, more than 7,000 flood victims are seeking shelter in 56 temporary flood relief centres. Six districts have been hit by the flood so far, namely, Kluang, Kota Tinggi, Johor Baru, Pontian, Kulai and Segamat.
