PETALING JAYA: It was a rainy weekend, and businessman Dev assumed it would be another normal day until he heard a loud noise outside his home while watching TV.
Jolted from his seat, he rushed out of the house and saw that his neighbours were just as puzzled.
Soon, his gaze was drawn to the source of the thunderous noise – a landslip.
“I saw trees start sliding down the hill, located just next to our neighbourhood,” said Dev, who was alone at home then.
“I noticed that one of my neighbours was struggling to get his parents out of the house located nearest to the hill. So I tried to help,” Dev, 46, recalled.
He recounted the fear that gripped him at that point.
“I started to worry about everything.
“I shouted at my neighbours to leave their houses.”
That catastrophe on Dec 16, 2023, at Jalan Wawasan 3/9 in Pusat Bandar Puchong, Selangor, swallowed four cars and affected at least nine houses.
Following the landslide, 29 residents, including Dev’s family, were moved out by the city council to a nearby apartment until the area was verified safe.
Although he was grateful for the aid given, Dev said that the relocation was a financial and emotional burden.
“We stayed in an apartment – almost a bare unit – provided by the Subang Jaya City Council for almost a year.
“Since my wife couldn’t cook there, we had to eat out or order food delivery, so our daily living costs went up,” said the father of a six-year-old.
Eventually, his family moved into a relative’s house instead.
Once they were allowed to return to Taman Wawasan, Dev said his family had to deal with another problem – their house was in shambles.
“There were cracks on the walls, the water tank was leaking and mould started growing on furniture; everything was so bad,” he said.
Dev estimated that the cost was at least RM50,000 to fix the damages. And to top it off, they had to still pay the monthly utility bills – including satellite TV and Internet subscription – despite not being at home at the time.
He said the victims received about RM3,000 in assistance during their 11 months of displacement.
These days, Dev said he would get nervous each time there is a downpour.
“I’m worried that it would happen again, especially when it rains heavily,” said Dev who has been living in the neighbourhood for almost a decade.
“It’s not just me. Other residents feel the same way. When it rains, we would walk around and evaluate the situation to see whether it is safe or not,” he added.
