Wave wreck: a fishing boat is swept ashore during the large wave phenomenon on Saturday night in Kampung Telaga Papan, Terengganu. — bernama
PETALING JAYA: Floods can cause untold misery, to which those whose lives have been thus ravaged can readily testify.
Insurance claims can help them rebuild their damaged homes and restore sanity to their daily routines, said some victims.
Nordiana Idris, 52, from Temerloh, Pahang, a victim of the great floods of 2014, said she was relieved to be able to claim about RM10,000 from her insurance to rebuild her house.
“That year, the flood was very severe. About 70% of my house was destroyed, along with the valuables inside. We depended on insurance claims to recover from the destruction,” she said.
Adam Hassan, 50, from Ketereh in Kelantan, said he also claimed flood insurance to restore his house after floods in 2017 and 2022, adding that the amount was RM6,000 for each incident.
However, his sleepless nights have come back to haunt him, with his house also affected by the current floods.
“I was moved to a shelter and so I do not know the condition of my home now,” he lamented.
Adam said as far as he knows, many residents in and around Ketereh had bought insurance for their homes. But there are also many who do not know what to do or where to turn to when natural disasters hit, as in the case of Wan Haslina Wan Mahmud, 40, a seamstress in Pasir Puteh, Kelantan.
Powerless plight: Strong currents swept away two vehicles and cut off the road leading to Taman Sri bayu, Tumpat, Kelantan. — bernama
“We are just villagers and have no idea about claiming insurance. If it is available in our area, sure we would take it up to ease our burden,” she said.
Wan Haslina, who lives in a terrace house, said her kitchen and electrical appliances could not be saved in the current flood.
“The last major flood that occurred in our area was in 2022. We did not see the need to get household insurance, despite knowing the destruction and burden it would cause,” she said.
Nik Hasenah Nik Hassan, from Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, said she only has medical insurance and is worried about having to buy furniture to replace what is destroyed in the current flood.
“It would take up to RM6,000 to replace the furniture,” she said.
Nik Hasenah, 45, said her washing machine, refrigerator, two cupboards, television, a 25kg bag of rice and a bed set were destroyed in the floods.
“We did not sign up for flood insurance as we did not know how to go about it. We hope to get some sort of financial assistance, like that given to us in 2022,” she said.
