Nurul Halimah Kuin, 29, said the flood hit so fast that she and her employees only had time to save themselves, leaving items and equipment behind.
“When we turned our heads to look back at the shop, it was gone (submerged). It’s hard to describe what we were feeling at the time. We were devastated,” she told FMT.
“In less than 10 minutes, the water had risen up to chest level. The second wave of the flood arrived less than five minutes after the first. By then, we could see logs floating in the water.”
Halimah said the situation became worse when her mother and an employee were almost trapped inside the shop after several items and equipment, including a refrigerator, blocked the exit.
“My mother had come by to help. After the rest of us managed to get out of the shop, only my mother and an employee were left there.
“I frantically asked the people nearby to help them. Fortunately, they were rescued shortly before the shop was completely swept away,” she said, adding that this was the first time such a “terrible” flood had hit the village.
Carry the child, save the mother
Another trader in Kampung Iboi, known as Adawiyah, suffered losses of more than RM50,000 when all the goods and equipment in her sundry shop were either damaged or swept away in the flood.
Recounting the tense moments, Adawiyah said that when she first realised the water had begun rising, she tried to save her four cars and move her family to a safe place – all while carrying her child.
Her efforts were in vain as the water rose too rapidly.
“The water rose fast. When I went to move the cars, the water had already reached chest level,” she said.
What alarmed her even more was the fact that her mother was still at home while the water was rising.
“I was no longer concerned about possessions. I was worried looking at the water rising and not having my mother by my side.”
Fortune smiled on her when she was told that her mother was safe after being helped by those nearby.
Earlier concerns ignored
Sahabat Alam Malaysia Sik adviser Sobri Ramlee said his group had described the disaster area as a “ticking time bomb” that could be hit by floods at any time, adding that they had already voiced these concerns earlier.
Based on previous observations with villagers, he said he could not rule out the possibility that the water column phenomenon in Gunung Inas that led to the flood was caused by land exploration activities.
“I raised this issue before the flood, but the authorities did not take note. In 2018, I went to the area (Gunung Inas) with representatives of the state environmental exco and the villagers.
“Based on our observations, there were several reservoirs built to reduce the direct flow of mud into nearby rivers, and it is possible that the ponds overflowed because they were not built according to the standards of the environment department,” he told FMT.
Sobri called for an environmental impact assessment to be conducted again, taking into account the latest information, and said that a comprehensive social impact assessment should also be conducted.
The flood in Baling killed three members of a family, including a four-month pregnant woman in Kampung Iboi, after their house was washed away by strong currents.