Better safe than sorry: Mohd Fahizan (left) and Saiful are both preparing to evacuate their homes.
JOHOR BARU: As heavy rain continues to fall, residents in Johor’s flood-prone areas are bracing for another wave of floods.
In Batu Pahat, livestock farmer Saiful Amri Tumiran, 37, said his family have begun packing their belongings and preparing to relocate to a flood relief centre.
“It was raining continuously since Thursday night through to Friday afternoon, which is a sign that floods could hit at any moment,” Saiful said.
“We need to be prepared. We can’t wait until the last minute as the floodwaters rise very quickly in this kind of weather.
“We have already started moving our belongings to higher ground to prevent them from getting wet in the event of a flood and packing our bags in case we need to move to a relief centre.”
The father of four added that he may also move his livestock, including cattle and porcupines, to safer ground if the rain persists.
“If the situation worsens, I will have to move the animals too. For now, I don’t think it has reached that point, as the rain has eased since Friday night,” he said.
Saiful also recalled the significant losses he faced last year when floods damaged his farm and killed his animals.
Meanwhile, in Segamat, businessman Mohd Fahizan Shah Ramlan, 46, has been preparing to evacuate his home in Kampung Jawa.
“People living around the Buloh Kasap area have already seen a surge in the water levels. That’s a clear sign that we are next,” he said. “We need to get ready, as it only takes one or two hours for the water level to rise.”
Mohd Fahizan noted that his neighbours have already begun packing their belongings since Friday, and temporary relief centres have been set up in anticipation of the floods.
“If the rain keeps up, my family and I will move to our second house, which is on higher ground,” he added.
His second home, located about 1km from his main house, was built specifically to provide shelter during floods.
“We used to have to move to relief centres often so I decided to build a small house on higher ground.
“Since then, we have been taking refuge there each time our house is flooded. We did not move there permanently as it is pretty small and has weak Internet coverage,” he said.
As of 2pm yesterday, two districts, Segamat and Tangkak, have been affected by floods.
Ten temporary relief centres have been opened, providing shelter to some 449 people from 135 families whose homes have been inundated.
