KUALA BERANG: Mothers at the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Menerong temporary relief centre here have had to play the role of chefs to feed the 99 flood victims there.
Taking turns to cook three meals a day, these extraordinary mothers took it upon themselves to do so without being told to by anyone.
"We take turns to cook. If one group has prepared breakfast, then the other groups will handle lunch and dinner.
"As for tea time, we usually munch on biscuits and make either coffee or tea... just enough to fill the stomach during this rainy season," 40-year-old Nurul Fadilah Che Mat, from the Projek Penyusunan Semula Kampung (PPSK) Kampung Gunung Menerong, told Bernama.
She said there was no issue of food supplies being cut off at the relief centre, which was only opened on Monday (Dec 25), after they were all transferred here from the PPSK Kampung Gunung Menerong relief centre, which was inundated.
Nurul Fadilah, a housewife, added that when they were told to move to the new (SMK Menerong) relief centre, they all worked together to bring along the food supply from the PPSK Kampung Gunung Menerong relief centre.
"So, there is no reason for there to be insufficient food supply here. The only thing lacking when we got here were blankets and mats, but we managed to get more on our own.
"Whatever we have in excess, we share. We also understand the tense situation facing the management team when opening a new relief centre. Anyway, we came prepared because we are used to it (the flood)," she said.
Meanwhile, 46-year-old Zuraida Yusof said it's not just the mothers who have been doing all the work, the men too have helped out by ensuring the cleanliness of the centre's surrounding area.
"As this centre is a school and our children also study here, it's only natural for us to maintain its cleanliness although it is the school holidays. At least when our children come back to school, they will find it clean and comfortable," she said.
The SMK Menerong relief centre was opened at 8.30pm on Monday (Dec 25) to accommodate the 73 families transferred from the PPSK Kampung Gunung Menerong centre, which was closed after it was inundated.
However, Nur Fadilah said only 33 families chose to move to the new relief centre as the others decided to stay with their relatives elsewhere.
The Kampung Batu 23 relief centre also had to close for the same reason, with all 447 evacuees there being transferred to the Sekolah Kebangsaan Kuala Berang relief centre.
According to the Terengganu State Disaster Management Committee secretariat, all relief centres in Besut have been closed, resulting in the number of flood victims in the state dropping to 5,412 people as of noon on Thursday (Dec 28) compared to 6,281 people as of 8am. - Bernama
