A family spent 10 hours on the roof beam of their house as floods continue to sweep across their state of Pahang.
Nur Aleeya Maisarah Mansor considered herself lucky to have survived the flood that immersed her home on Sunday (3 January).
Photo via The Straits Times
According to the New Straits Times, she said that she didn’t expect to be in such a situation, though her house had been flooded previously.
“The area is prone to floods, the water would not rise to the front of the house, only the road beside our house. We did not expect such a big flood to happen. For the first time ever, the water nearly reached the roof,” she told BERNAMA.
The floodwaters had risen so fast that her house in Kampung Ajai in Dong, Raub, which was also under renovation, began to be flooded at noon.
“By 2 pm, the water level had exceeded the hip and we decided to climb onto the scaffolding used for the renovation. The situation got worse by 5 pm as the water engulfed the staging, so we had to climb higher to the roof beam of the house.”
“We did not have anything to eat since morning, just some candy I had in my bag.”
Photo via BERNAMA
Due to heavy currents, Nur Aleeya and her parents - her father, Mansor Omar, and mother, Ayusyeila Zulaikha Subari were only evacuated by rescue personnel at 2:56am before they were placed at the evacuation centre at Dewan Serbaguna Kampung Pia.
“The rescuers tried to save us many times but because of the currents, they were afraid that the boat would overturn. But I am grateful that they finally managed to save us and I would like to thank everyone who sought help for us.”
Although the family is now safe at the evacuation centre, they lost nearly all their possessions, including their car, clothes, and electrical appliances.
“We couldn’t save anything, not books or even clothes… I hope the situation will improve soon,” she added.
The Raub district in Pahang recorded 1,616 evacuees from 459 families at 46 relief centres as of 4 pm on Monday (4 January).
Floods in Malaysia are regular natural disasters that happen nearly every year during the monsoon season, so please stay safe everyone!
Also, do not take the risk of driving through flooded roads and make sure to get the latest traffic updates to avoid driving into road closures due to flash floods.
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
