In Seremban, residents of Kampung Ismail reported water levels reaching chest-high. Although most homes and streets have been cleaned up, the trauma and stress have not gone away.
Village head Amran Othman said he felt that poor communications resulted in delayed emergency rescue and relief operations.
When the early warning flood sirens were set off, he said, the river had already burst its banks and the water rushed rapidly into parts of the village.
Amran said the villagers did not have time to salvage their belongings.
He said eight homes were badly damaged, with appliances and furniture destroyed.
“Some of the elderly residents are stroke patients. Their wheelchairs were damaged. We hope there are people who can help them.
“We also need medical beds for a couple of residents who are bedridden,” he told FMT.
Amran said the villagers will try to obtain life jackets and perhaps a boat in case the kampung is flooded again.
“We understand that the authorities need to also focus on the other areas, so we will do whatever we can on our part,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kampung Chennah in Jelebu is still in disarray.
Village head Rosmadi Ariff, better known as Tok, said four other villages under his watch, including two Temuan Orang Asli settlements – Kampung Tohor and Kampung Dusun Kubur – were also badly affected.
He said none of the villagers had experienced such serious floods.
The last time the kampungs were flooded was in 1971, “but even then, the water was only at knee-level”.
Rosmadi said that during the recent floods, the early warning flood siren station installed by the department of irrigation and drainage was submerged.
“We hope that it can be rebuilt on higher ground,” he said.
He was thankful, however, that government agencies and the district office had come to their aid as soon as the floods struck.
“I don’t know about the other villages, but from what I can see here, every department and even the district office has been helping us until today, sometimes even at night.
“Our assemblyman also sent five lorries, five bulldozers and one excavator for us to clean up the area,” he said.