KUALA LUMPUR – About 76,873 victims across the peninsula were afflicted by the widespread flooding in January. This was reported by the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) when contacted by The Vibes.
From the figures shared, approximately 19,470 households were badly hit by the heavy monsoon rain lashing parts of the country. They evacuated and took shelter at the flood relief centres (PPS) across states affected.
The agency’s representative notes that data is still being actively collected. However, it should not stop the nation to maintain its careful look at the magnitude of the disaster. There is a concern over the preparedness of our communities in anticipating future disasters.
This raises questions on the effectiveness of the country’s risk and mitigation plan in dealing with potential natural disaster events.
Relief efforts were done on a scale that saw both government and non-governmental agencies assisting victims in the flood-hit states.
“Our mission was to focus on the victims affected by the flood, pushing [political] ideologies and affiliations aside,” said Dato’ Afdlin Shauki, spokesperson for Sekhar Foundation and founder of Yayasan Afdlin Shauki.
Representing the non-profit cooperatives mentioned, he shared his humanitarian mission more in detail in a sit-down interview.
Combining efforts with Yayasan Kubra and Sadaqah Centre, five 4WDs disaster relief teams (totalling 16 members) were deployed to the areas affected by the widespread flooding across the peninsula. Among them, the east coast states (Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang), Selangor as well as Johor.
“Pressing on this importance, we work closely with state assemblymen and counsellors very well and banded together on a shared mission. It was beautiful to witness,” he added. Afdlin credited PAS for its strong cooperation in the management of handing out aid to families affected.
“The area in Mentakab was one of the places that was quite badly hit – where about 300 homes or so were affected by the flood. Families there were mostly those living in housing for the lower-income groups, so when the flood happened and destroyed all their valuables, they were left with not much.
Although the recent widespread flooding in the peninsula was not as big as back in 2014, the recent heavy flood is still substantial because the country is concurrently busy fighting the pandemic.
“The flooding happened quite fast, and many households were not able to evacuate in time. Some villages were even cut off from civilisation because the flood made accessibility impossible.
“These zones were only able to be entered with four-wheelers due to the high-water levels. Some areas such as Kampung Paya Tambang can only be accessed strictly by boats since it is situated near the river system. We could not even bring a big team for individual trips because the logistics in some of these areas were complicated," said Afdlin.
Supplies such as food, medical, toiletries, babywear, even cash (about RM200 for each family from personal and public donations) were extended to flood victims.
“Before this, we concentrate our social services on the refugee community, but the plight of those affected by the flood was no different. When disasters such as this strike, you lose everything you have,” Afdlin said of the state of the families displaced. “It was definitely a sombre experience that forces us to count our blessings. Personally, there were a lot of things that went through my mind at the time.
“This was our first run of the relief efforts, but we are prepared to conduct more if the floods (or any unforeseen disaster) happen again. We want to get more people and help out wherever they can,” he added.
“This situation is real. It's easy for people outside the affected zones to be unaware of the magnitude of it until they see it themselves. Nobody is at fault. But it’s important to be reminded that while we are living comfortably in the city, our fellow Malaysians went through the struggle of the floods and the pandemic at the same time,” said Afdlin.
“People who are better off will need to have an eye on what is happening around them, that way they can help where they can.
"One of the biggest (and most powerful) lessons I’ve learned through this is, anything can change in an instant for any reason,” he added.
Visit Yayasan Afdlin Shauki or yashauki.com for more information on how to contribute and help communities affected. – The Vibes, February 25, 2021
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