MELAKA: The house in Kampung Sungai Putat here has been her family home for generations, but the fond memories are often overshadowed by the constant fear of floods in Hidayah Salim’s mind.
For the 37-year-old housewife, things have become worse in the past few years with floods hitting her home frequently, the most recent being on Monday (Nov 14).
“We live near the river and whenever heavy rains occur, we grow restless knowing that floods may hit.
ALSO READ: Sharp surge in number of evacuees in six states
“The heavy rain in the wee hours of Monday saw water levels rising quickly, leaving us in a knee-deep flood," she said when met while cleaning her house.
“This is not a one-off occurrence. There were at least six instances (of flooding) last year and several earlier this year," she said.
Hidayah, a breast cancer patient, added that her refrigerator had been damaged beyond repair in Monday's flood.
“We managed to fix it previously but it’s now past that.
“We cannot afford to buy anything new as we’re unsure when floods will hit us again,” she said.
ALSO READ: Firefighters on standby for polls
Her husband Mohd Saiful Abdullah, 37, said more should be done to prevent flooding in the area.
“The flood aid allocations are insufficient because repairing electrical appliances is costly.
“We need something concrete, long-term solutions to tackle floods here,” he said.
The couple added that casting their votes in the 15th General Election (GE15) on Saturday (Nov 19) was still a priority, however, as it was their responsibility as Malaysians.
Fellow resident Fatin Fatilah said she was unable to work on Monday because of the floods.
“It’s (not possible) for me to work, when the flood waters are still high. This means my salary will be deducted at the end of the month.
“If floods occur close to or on polling day, I may not come out to vote as I have to pay more attention to my home,” said the 29-year-old who works in a school canteen.
Civil servant Zaini Abdul Rahman, 47, was unable to sleep throughout the night upon hearing heavy rain lashing the area at about 1am.
ALSO READ: Voters urged to keep abreast of weather reports
“It lasted for about two hours and we immediately began moving our cars and essentials to higher areas.
“At about 2am, several pickup trucks from a political party came by to warn us of the rising waters and offer help,” he said, adding that he could not recognise the logo on the truck as it was the dead of night.
Zaini, who was badly affected during the floods in June, said most of his family's important documents were already sealed and kept safely as a precautionary measure.
“We cannot tell when floods will happen and it’s better to be safe than sorry,” he said.
Pakatan Harapan’s candidate for the Hang Tuah Jaya federal seat, Adam Adli, cancelled his campaigning activities on Monday morning to monitor the floods.
“I began receiving calls at about 3am and immediately made plans to visit the affected areas.
“It is also not ethical to campaign in such situations, when we can offer help instead,” he said, adding that his team visited at least 15 families in four locations on Monday morning.
Barisan Nasional’s Hang Tuah Jaya candidate Datuk Mohd Ridhwan Mohd Ali also visited flood-hit homes and premises in Pantai Peringgit in the morning.
“Several of my teams were already on the ground from as early as 4am, and offered immediate assistance to those in need.
“I am monitoring the situation together with the local communities,” he said in a Facebook post.
