BALING – The quick-thinking and brave actions of a villager helped to save his three siblings and a neighbour who were trapped in the floods in Kg Padang Empang near here yesterday.
Mohd Nazrol Ramli, 30, said at around 6pm, the rain had not stopped so he and his three brothers began moving furniture and other items to the top floor of their house as they were afraid the floodwater would enter the premises.
“We were still moving the household items when at about 7pm, there was a strong gush of water and it surrounded our house and six others.
“My brothers and I were trapped, as well as a woman in one of the nearby houses. By then, other villagers were shouting for us to leave the house for fear that it would be hit by driftwood and logs carried by the floodwater,” he said when met by reporters here today.
Fearing for their safety, Nazrol said he braved the strong current and swam across the floodwater – which had formed like a river – four times to bring his three siblings and the neighbour to safer ground.
Another villager, Rosnani Sahak, 44, said she was traumatised by yesterday’s flood, though she added it was not as bad as the one that had occurred on July 4 this year.
Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman Ahmad, 70, said immediate action needed to be taken by the authorities to prevent more damage to property with flood incidents becoming more frequent in the area.
Baling district Civil Defence Force officer Mohd Faizol Ab Aziz said as of 4pm today, a total of 128 victims from 36 families are still being housed at two relief centres, namely Kg Padang Empang Open Hall and Kg Hangus Al Huda Mosque Hall. – Bernama, September 7, 2022
