Elderly woman forced to evacuate home three times in a month due to floods

KUALA NERUS: An elderly woman was forced to evacuate to a temporary relief centre (PPS) three times within a month after her home was repeatedly inundated by floods.

Fatimah Mahmud, 74, from Kampung Pak Tijah here, said her first evacuation took place at the end of November after floodwaters rose to knee level in her house.

Living with her grandson, she said the second evacuation occurred following flooding on Dec 14, while the third took place at about 3pm on Friday (Dec 26) when water levels rose rapidly to waist height after continuous heavy rain.

Speaking to reporters from Sekolah Kebangsaan Tok Jembal PPS here on Saturday (Dec 27), she said the water began rising as early as 7am, prompting her grandson, a security guard, to move household items, including a refrigerator and washing machine, to a higher area as the kitchen was already badly flooded.

Fatimah, who suffers from asthma, said she has to evacuate almost every year as her village is prone to flooding, but still helps her grandson with cleaning work despite exhaustion in the hope of returning home soon.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Hazlan Abdullah, 50, who has a heart condition, said he was evacuated twice to the same PPS this year and sought assistance from the Fire and Rescue Department due to safety concerns as floodwaters rose swiftly during the third wave.

The state Disaster Management Committee Secretariat said a total of 468 victims from affected families had been evacuated to four PPS in three districts in Terengganu due to the third wave of flooding as of noon on Saturday.- Bernama