Amused buddies: Irzani (front left), Mohamad Asraf (back right) and the rest of ‘Geng PPS’ finding ways to entertain themselves while staying at the relief centre.
KOTA KINABALU: In the small, open space of a relief centre for flood evacuees, a group of boys entertained themselves by playing games and sharing stories.
To them, the temporary shelter was a “home away from home”.
Huddled together, they laughed at saved videos on their phones as the lack of mobile reception meant no online games.
“We usually play (the online game) Mobile Legends, but there is no signal, so we just watch old videos,” said 11-year-old Irzani Mazlan with a grin.
The Star visited the Masjid Lama Kampung Gana Jati relief centre several weeks ago and found a crowded space that felt overwhelming.
The air was filled with the chatter of worried parents, restless youngsters and volunteers giving instructions.
But most of the children at the centre were in high spirits despite their circumstances.
“Kami geng PPS!” One of them suddenly shouted, drawing laughter from the others.
The phrase, which translates to “We are the PPS gang”, referred to their shared experience at the temporary relief centre (Pusat Pemindahan Sementara in Malay).
There were no new friendships formed at the centre, just the same familiar faces every time the floods hit.
“We all go to the same school, SK Perancangan, except him,” Irzani said, gesturing toward Mohamad Asraf Raflie, who smiled and gave a nod in agreement.
Irzani and his friends are from Kampung Gana Jati in Telupid, a small town in central Sabah, about 200km east of Kota Kinabalu.
Floods are nothing new to them. When the waters rose, they were evacuated, not because their homes were submerged, but because the roads were cut off, leaving them stranded.
“The road to our house gets flooded, so we have to move here.
“This was the second time this year; the last was just a few months ago. Before this, we had to evacuate every year,” said Irzani.
The boys and all displaced residents have since returned home after authorities deemed it safe.
Currently, Sabah is facing its third wave of floods this year, displacing 393 residents now sheltering at five relief centres across Keningau, Sipitang, and Beaufort.
When asked how they felt about missing school, the boys shrugged it off.
Their consensus about missing classes: “We are used to it.”
Yet, the weight of losing their homes, even temporarily, lingered.
“It is sad because our house is flooded,” one admitted.
But just as quickly, they moved on, cracking jokes and teasing each other.
Staying at the relief centre, however, was not all fun and games; the reality of displacement hits them, too.
“It is uncomfortable because it is hot. There is no electricity, so charging our phones is difficult. We use power banks,” Irzani explained.
For the adults, sleep was difficult. The floor was hard, and the din never really stopped.
Families squeezed into the 2.5m x 2.5m x 1.9m blue or orange tents where privacy was almost impossible.
But thankfully, it was a close-knit community.
The women, embodying the spirit of gotong-royong (communal cooperation), prepared meals together, using raw ingredients provided by the Welfare Department.
Their resilience shone through, especially Geng PPS who, deep down, knew that when dark skies bring heavy downpours again, they would reunite once more.
