GUA MUSANG: Residents in Felda Chiku 1 and Chiku 2 here generally described the flash flood that occurred in their settlements on Tuesday (Sept 16) as among the worst in over 40 years.
Resident Rabiah Mamat, 54, said the strong current along with mud entered her house quickly, preventing her from saving belongings, including school equipment for her child who had just finished the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) trial examination.
"I saw a current like a waterfall when I opened the kitchen door to check the situation outside the house. In the blink of an eye, the house was submerged up to chin level in a short time after 15 minutes of heavy rain around 5pm Tuesday.
"We didn't have time to salvage our valuables because everything was submerged, and we only managed to save ourselves. My 17-year-old child could only cry thinking about the school items that were underwater," she said when met by reporters at her home near Felda Chiku 1 Wednesday (Sept 17).
For Rusilawati Setapa, 59, she was in Kota Baru during the incident and only found out about the flood after being informed by her daughter, who was at home postpartum.
"My daughter told me the water rose quickly, and considering her limited mobility due to being in the postpartum period, she didn't have time or ability to move important items to higher ground," she said.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Federal Village Development and Security Committee (JPKKP) Relai Selatan, Norfadzlete Aryani Mat Rosli, said more than 2,000 residents in Felda Chiku 1 and Chiku 2 did not anticipate the incident to happen so quickly, as they did not have time to prepare for evacuation.
"Some settlers living in the settlement here have said that this flash flood disaster is among the worst they have experienced in 44 years.
"The flood current was so strong that a motorcyclist was almost swept away while passing through a submerged road," he said. - Bernama
