Floods still harrowing for the experienced

So much so, that many of its residents have built their houses on stilts to keep lives and belongings safe during the flood.

Many today also own wooden or fiberglass boats, which they keep under the house during non-flood seasons.

Those who have lived in Kelantan all their lives can almost "read" the pattern of rainfall and predict exactly when floods would occur.

Despite decades of experience, Deraman Awang Kecik, 80, from Kampung Bukit Awang, Pasir Puteh still find bracing the monsoon floods a harrowing experience.

He had once even slept in his boat after his house was flooded.

"I could hardly sleep a wink, but I did not want to move to a relief centre because I was afraid of my belongings being stolen while I was away," he told Bernama, adding that many in his village shared the same fear.

Some would even stay in their flooded homes until the water had risen to a dangerous level.

Deraman said the floods usually lasted a week, during which their sources of income would also be affected.

Because of that, many would stock up on food supplies and other necessities before the monsoon season, which typically starts in October and ends around March the following year.

Abdul Salam Ahmad, 77, decided four years ago to buy a fiberglass boat so that he would not have to depend on others for his needs during the flood season.

"During the flood season, we use it to go out and get basic needs like rice and biscuits from areas that are not hit by flood. We also use it to get to the surau or mosque," he said.

He bought the six-seater boat for RM1,250. Abdul Salam lives in Kampung Pasar Lama, Pasir Tumboh, an area prone to flooding due to the overflowing of the Pengkalan Datu River during the monsoon season.

Zaharah Mamat, 60, has come to see the monsoon flood as an annual occurrence but was still hoping that each one was less severe and quicker to subside than the last.

"The water level can sometimes reach up to eight feet (2.4 metres) and even at its lowest, it is still about five feet (1.5 metres). This is why we have to build our houses on stilts, so that we don’t have to go through the trouble of moving our belongings elsewhere," she said.