Malaysia is no stranger to floods, and the State of Johor is no exception. On Saturday 26th October, more than 1,000 people found themselves in relief centres as flooding hit five Malaysian states. According to The Straits Times, there were 159 evacuees from the Pontian district on the west coast of Johor. At this time of year, one expects flooding on the east coast because of the northeastern monsoon, and this is why the island resorts off the east coast close for this season. Clearly weather patterns are changing, but ask anyone and they will be able to tell you the story of ‘The Flood of 20xx’.
So today, I joined the Malaysian Red Crescent (MRC) and their Community Service division to see if any further help was needed and to deliver supplies to evacuees. We started in Kankar Tebrau, to the north of Johor Bahru, and you could see from the orange mud on the roads and around peoples’ homes, that the Tebrau River must have done some damage.
The local community centre was closed, which meant that everyone was safely back home. We stopped at one property where their belongings were left outside to dry in the sun.
You can tell from the height of the land above this gulley, that the flood water must have been several metres deep. I was glad that the sturdy MRC vehicles would have been able to cope should the water level still have been high.
As we left the area, there were encouraging signs of road clearance. But what you cannot get from these photos is the smell! So, hats off to these guys clearing mud from the roads.
Our next destination was Kampung Melayu Raya near the town of Pekan Nanas (between Skudai and Pontian). The local school was acting as the evacuation point for residents from five kampungs. People had gathered here since Saturday and were expected to be leaving later today. The MRC and members of APM Malaysia (Angkatan Pertahanan Awal Malaysia), who are the civil defense force, had set up tents and accommodation spaces in the school hall, and provided hot meals for the new residents.
They kept track of the number of evacuees from each kampung, and their profile. There was a column to list the number family members, the number of babies, the number of disabled, and the number of elderly. I asked for their definition of elderly and was saddened to discover that I qualify for this category as I am over 60! Families with very young children or disabled members were housed in orange tents on the ground floor, while others were upstairs on the first floor.
Supplies from the MRC were then brought into the school for further distribution. There were Hygiene Packs containing toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, etc, sufficient for a family of five. The basic family unit is taken to be two adults and three children. The MRC also provided Family Packs which would include food and general household necessities, and for one rather bemused youngster, a packet containing biscuits and sweets.
Thankfully, the floods in Johor had not resulted in any loss of life, and it is good to know that systems are in place to help those affected and provide continued support after the initial media attention may have waned.
Click here to see more about the activities of the Malaysian Red Crescent.
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