KUANTAN – Looking at how Social Welfare Department (JKM) worker A. Thivurasi had been tirelessly working round the clock to help flood victims in Pahang, nobody would have guessed that her own flood-hit home in Felda Sungai Jerik in Maran, was weighing heavily on her thoughts from some 90km away.
The situation faced by the 31-year-old was in fact, much worse than some of the flood victims she was rendering aid to, but as far as Thivurasi was concerned, duty came first.
She got word that Maran district, where she is based, had been hit last Sunday morning. At the time, she was at her husband’s family home in Felda Lurah Bilut in Bentong.
“I knew my services would be needed and quickly hit the road back to Maran. The journey felt like a lifetime, as many roads were already inaccessible due to floodwaters but we somehow found alternative routes.
“By the time we got home, the floodwaters were almost hitting the roof. We lost everything, including all my notes and study materials for the Universiti Sains Malaysia Social Science degree course I am currently taking. But there was no time to linger, as duty called and I had to rush off to help other flood victims in the district.
“I have been staying at a friend’s house since Monday with a limited amount of clothes. There is so much flood assistance work to do and I have not been back home since. I can only rely on other family members to do the post-flood cleaning,” she told Bernama.
As for Temerloh-based Welfare Department officer, Badrul Hisham Mohd Yassin, 52, his home in Taman Segumpas in Mentakab was also hit badly. Although he had faced major floods before in 2007 and 2014, he felt the situation was different this time around, as the floodwaters rose very fast.
“I was on duty at the relief centre when floodwaters started entering the house. In the chaos, I managed to find a homestay unit for the family to ease my worries as I now work from very early in the morning until midnight.
“I hardly have time to check on my house as our tasks are more challenging this time around. The number of victims is so large while staff strength is limited. We are all ‘multi-tasking’, helping here and there,” he said.
Badrul Hisham said the department’s tasks became extra challenging when the route to their office in Temerloh town was also flooded two days ago, forcing them to seek shelter at the Bukit Angin Fire and Rescue Station so that operations to help the community could continue.
Norismadi Ismail, 46, was another Welfare Department worker who could not attend to his own family’s needs during the floods as he was busy at work at the Maran Disaster Operations centre as well as on the field delivering aid to flood victims.
He said last Sunday’s floods was his first experience, as his house in Taman Maran Jaya was located on higher ground and usually escaped floodwaters.
“However, this time around even my house was not spared and I had to ask my children to get some help from their friends as I am unable to take leave. It was painstaking as a lot of valuables had to be moved by boat,” he said. – Bernama, January 9, 2021
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