MARANG, Dec 4 — As the flood situation worsened, a 30-day-old baby here was forced to be evacuated in rainy and cold weather during the wee hours yesterday.
Fateema Nur Arbaiyyah Jusoh, 29, from Kampung Rhu Dua here had to wade through metre-high flood waters for about 50 metres while carrying her baby Nur Syafia Fakhira Mohd Shahrul to get to the relief centre (PPS) at about 1 am.
The mother of three said her husband Mohd Shahrul Nizzam Ismail, 34, carried their other two children Muhamad Shamir Feyrash, 6, and Muhamad Sharhan Faqih, 3, through the flood waters before being taken to PPS at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Rusila, about three kilometres from their house.
“I did not expect this to happen as the last time we were experienced such situation was during the massive floods that occurred in 2014. Fortunately, my husband and I were prepared for the floods and we had packed up our essential belongings earlier.
“My husband promptly decided to evacuate, the night before after the water entered the kitchen,” she said when met by Bernama at PPS SK Rusila here.
Fateema Nur Arbaiyyah said despite facing some difficulties managing her baby at PPS, she is thankful to have moved earlier and all her family members are safe.
Nur Syafia Fakhira is the youngest flood victim at the PPS which was opened to accommodate 186 evacuees from six villages and two residential areas around Marang.
Meanwhile, another flood victim at the PPS, a paralysed elderly woman, had to be carried by Civil Defence Force (APM) personnel after the yard of her house in Kampung Rhu Renggeh, here, was inundated by up one metre of flood waters.
Zainab Pak Deraman, 65, who has been left paralysed for four years due to a stroke said she was carried for about 50 metres from her house before being taken into a four-wheel drive vehicle belonging to APM.
“My front yard and the area surrounding it submerged in water. Fortunately, my house was built quite high. They (APM personnel) carried me and waded through the flood waters to the vehicle.
“At first, I was reluctant to move out of my house to the relief centre due to my condition but I changed my mind for my own safety,” she said. -BERNAMA