KUALA LUMPUR – The Bah Kuning tragedy that befell the people of Kuala Krai, Kelantan in December 2014 seemed to repeat itself when most of Selangor was drowned in mud when it was hit by the floods that began on December 18.
Besides claiming dozens of lives, the disaster also affected thousands of people who lost their homes and property.
Recalling their own ordeal and the assistance rendered during their time of need, a large group of selfless individuals from Kuala Krai felt the calling to help those affected in the Klang Valley.
According to the founder of Barracuda Adventure Team, Mohd Fadir Hazmi, 42, the aid mission to Selangor was launched in return for the kindness of those who had helped many flood victims in the Kuala Krai district in Kelantan about seven years ago.
When we saw what happened in Selangor, Pahang and Kuala Lumpur, the tragedy seemed similar to what we had gone through in 2014.
“At that time, the people there helped us a lot. That is why we called to reciprocate their services. This is the Malaysian spirit,” he said when contacted by The Vibes’ sister portal Getaran, today.
Fadir said that the initiative, known as the Selangor-Kuala Krai Balas Budi Relief Mission 2014, was joined by 250 volunteers with 103 four-wheel drives, 11 lorries and 23 civilian vehicles.
The convoy left Kuala Krai at 5pm on December 23 and safely arrived in Hulu Langat at 3am the next day. A second team continued onwards to Shah Alam.
Yesterday, the relief mission helped the residents around Dusun Tua in Hulu Langat carry out post-flood cleaning.
Seeing the extent of the disaster as he entered the affected areas near Hulu Langat, Fadir said he felt a mixture of emotions.
“The strongest feelings I had was to help them, but at the same time I was also overwhelmed by sadness and a sense of loss for them. It’s hard to explain. The emotions were mingled together.
“I could see for myself that the houses and cars of the residents were badly damaged. There were (cars) that lunged into the river, (cars) lying on top of each other,” he said.
In addition to providing food aid and basic necessities, they also brought nearly 20 water jets to assist them in cleaning away the mud – a similar scenario they faced back in their hometown during the year-end 2014 floods.
True to their expectations, the mud in the victims’ homes was around 0.6m deep – roughly the same level in many houses and buildings in Kuala Krai.
“Besides that, we provided assistance for basic needs to help them prepare to start anew. There were also mats, mattresses, blankets and also dried food items donated by the public,” he said.
Recalling the Bah Kuning tragedy in 2014, he said that his house and some of his vehicles were damaged because of the water and mud.
“I could feel the sadness of the people here. I’ve felt it before. Besides three houses, seven of my cars were also submerged in floodwaters.
“Although my friend and I were also among the victims affected at the time, we still helped others who were also affected,” he said.
Fadir also shared the sad story of his mother’s residence in Kg Gajah Mati near Mentakab, Pahang, which was also affected by the floods.
It was even more upsetting, he said, as he could not enter the area to help his own mother because the water level was still high.
“My mother’s house also sank. It’s sad because I couldn’t go into the village to help her. The water has not receded and the police would not let me in because it was dangerous.
“Currently, my mother is staying over at a neighbour’s house. She said that there was only 2% of land in the village area. InsyaAllah, we will move there to help with the clean-up work once the floods start to recede,” he said.
Apart from the Barracuda Adventure Team, several non-governmental organisations also took part in the aid mission, including Task Force Kuala Krai, Lacar Groups and Kuala Krai MX, which collected all aid items from donations made by surrounding residents. – The Vibes, December 26, 2021
