KUALA BERANG: A man in Kampung Chapu here had to tie three metal drums to the bottom of his bedridden father’s adjustable bed to provide comfort to the elderly man when their house became flooded.
Zulkifli Che Noh, 37, said the idea to tie the drums using ropes was a suggestion from the villagers.
He said his father, Che Noh Che Hassan, 79, has not been able to get up since the start of the year due to a neurological disease.
“My father has had a neurological disease for 20 years but he has been bedridden for the past 10 years.
“Before that, he could still sit on a chair for a few minutes. But this year, my father could no longer sit on a chair and could only lie on the bed.
“Previously, when the house was flooded, my father would sit on a chair with a handle and I, along with the villagers, would lift my father with the chair to go up to the attic of the house,” he told Bernama.
The private sector worker said that since last week, he had been trying various methods of arranging the drums at the bottom of the bed to enable Che Noh’s bed to float on water and easily turn towards the kiblat when his father wanted to pray.
His efforts bore fruit when the makeshift bed successfully floated as water rose to thigh level on Wednesday afternoon.
Zulkifli said because of this, his father no longer needed to be lifted to the attic or moved to a temporary relief centre (PPS) even though the house was flooded.“All this time, my father usually only stayed in the attic of the house during floods because he was not comfortable staying in the PPS due to his health condition.
“My mother and other siblings took turns taking care of my father at home during the floods while other family members were at the PPS,” he said.
However, Zulkifli said if the flood situation worsens and they are ordered to move to the PPS, his family will try their best to persuade his father.
Zulkifli said his home is flooded every year during the monsoon season due to its location near a river, adding that he is accustomed to dealing with the disaster since he was a child.
