Stranded: (From left) Pavan, Nor Farah and Xin En were unable to sit for their SPM papers due to the floods.
SEGAMAT: Five hours before he was due to sit for his SPM Physics paper, floodwater began to rise at V. Pavan Vikram’s neighbourhood in Chaah town.
It was just 3.30am then, but his parents told him to change into his uniform and get ready for school.
“Most of the roads around our house had been covered with water. My parents told me to get ready or I might not be able to get to school on time if the water level kept rising.“However, the rain got heavier within minutes. Water started flowing into our house. We had to take shelter inside our car,” said Pavan, recounting to The Star the anxious moments his family went through on Wednesday.
The 18-year-old said his father tried calling everyone he knew who could help get them to somewhere safe with a four-wheel drive.
“But no one could come as there was no way for a vehicle to get to our area at that time,” said Pavan, who lives in Jalan Kenanga, Chaah.
“We sat in the car for about two hours, waiting for help. At that time, I was no longer worried or anxious about my SPM exam. All I could think of was making sure my family was safe,” he added.
He said they later decided to walk to a nearby religious school that was on higher ground.
“I was in my school uniform. My Physics notes were in my bag. But I ended not being able to go to school,” he said, adding that the Physics exam was later postponed at his school.
He said he and his parents waited out at the religious school for a few hours until it was safe for them to go to a relative’s house, where they have been staying since.
Another SPM candidate, Nor Farah Ain Fairuz, said she got a text message from her teacher at 4am on Wednesday, informing her that there was a change of venue for her Science paper because their school was flooded.
At that time, she and her family were already at a temporary relief centre.
“We had moved to the relief centre earlier, at about 1am,” she said.
Right after she got her teacher’s message, Nor Farah said she quickly got ready to go to the new examination venue.
“I was afraid the roads would be covered with water. Fortunately, my parents were able to send me there,” she said.
Eventually, the Science examination was postponed as the papers could not reach the venue in time.Furthermore, many students were unable to make their way to the examination hall, which had also been converted into a relief centre.
“Only a small number of students could get there in time. The rest were stuck in the floods,” said Nor Farah.
In fact, she was stranded at the examination hall for another day. The water level was too high for any vehicle to pass through.
“I was unable to get back to the relief centre to be with my family. My father picked me up the next day when things improved a little bit,” she said.
As for Khoo Xin En, she spent the wee hours of Wednesday busy packing stuff with her grandparents who are in their 70s.
“It was just me and my grandparents at home when we were hit by the flood,” she said, adding that her parents live in Johor Baru and work in Singapore.
“I didn’t think about my SPM exam at all as I was very worried about my grandparents.
“I was anxious about their well-being. Thankfully, they are okay,” said Khoo, who was supposed to sit for her Physics paper that day.
For now, she hopes to be given more time to prepare for the examination.
“Most of us are either at a relief centre, relative’s house or busy cleaning our home after the floods. We need more time to get ready,” she added.
