SHAH ALAM – In a time of crisis, elderly residents in Taman Sri Muda ensured that none of them were left behind as the fast-rising waters swept away their precious belongings during the devastating floods last December.
Six months on, the experience remains fresh in their minds while they struggle to regain some normalcy each day.
For Jalan Bangga resident, Bhanumathy Narayana, 62, the thought of leaving behind her long-time neighbour and good friend, Baljit Kaur, 72, never crossed her mind even though neither were sure of getting out alive.
“I have lived in this house for 21 years with my husband and she moved in shortly after I did. We’ve always helped each other and I always give her a call at night to make sure she is okay.
She lives alone after her husband passed away in 2018. No one was with her when the floods happened and I will not abandon my friend.”
Bhanumathy said when she was stranded for two days at the upper level of her inundated home with her daughter and a 9-month-old baby, they were forced to break the window grill to get to the ledge outside and navigate into a waiting kayak commandeered by Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming.
Baljit, whose problems with arthritis and diabetes limit her agility, recounted how she had to climb out to her balcony and carefully make her way across slippery roofs to reach Bhanumathy’s home after her friend called her to join them in the kayak.
“The experience was very frightening. I’m not as agile as I used to be because of my arthritis. I was lucky that I did not fall. I don’t know what would have happened to me then.
For two days we shouted for help and waved the flashlights on our phones, but the other boats that came by told us to be patient. How long could we wait?” Bhanumathy told The Vibes, adding that they only had bread and biscuits to eat during the entire ordeal.
Her family, like many others, had been cornered into the second level of their houses by the fast-rising waters. They also could not grab any family heirlooms and move costly electrical appliances to higher ground.
“After I suffered from a stroke a few years ago, my limbs are not as strong as they used to be. There was no way we could have lifted everything up a flight of stairs and the water levels rose too quickly for us to do anything,” said Bhanumathy.
Showing The Vibes a cabinet full of damaged cookware and knick-knacks the family has had for generations, she said years worth of photographs and baby clothes – which she had stored away from the days when her children used to wear them – were damaged.
Both her home and Baljit’s were noticeably bare of furniture, with only plastic chairs and tables occupying living rooms that had sofas and carpets.
They said they are terrified of another flood, so they have only bought important household items for now.
However, moving out is not an option for Bhanumathy, saying: “Even if I wanted to sell this house, who would want to buy it after the floods?”
“Also, we have lived here for so many years, and our temple is nearby.”
Another Taman Sri Muda resident who wanted to be known as Kieu, 38, believes that her current situation will worsen if she were to move elsewhere.
The single mother of two children aged 10 and 12 sells fruits and vegetables at a coffee shop just a stone’s throw away from her home. Her husband had died last February.
“Moving away is not the best option for me since my children go to a school nearby and I have established a customer base for my business here.
The neighbours here are all also very nice and friendly; they always help take care of the kids whenever I have to leave them at home for work,” she said, adding that she is thankful to Ong for his aid offer in the immediate aftermath of the floods.
Ong had introduced The Vibes to several of the families he had helped, adding that the Taman Sri Muda tragedy revealed how important relational networks within a neighbourhood are, especially in a community of elderly and working-class people.
Recently, The Vibes reported that Klang MP Charles Santiago was planning on initiating a suit against the government over their handling of the flood crisis, with residents claiming that they were unable to return to their regular lives after the trauma they went through.
At present, more than 110 people from Klang and Taman Sri Muda have expressed interest in being part of the suit by filling up forms issued by the law firm involved.
Killing more than two dozen people, a majority of which were Shah Alam residents, the floods had devastated major parts of the west coast last December.
Many Malaysians took to social media to condemn the government for its lackadaisical and slow response to the disaster, with volunteers seen to be acting more efficiently during the early stages of the rescue operations. – The Vibes, May 19, 2022
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