Kampung Padang Kijang residents prepare early for floods

TANAH MERAH: More than 100 families in Kampung Padang Kijang have started making preparations, such as boats and building special high shelves to store their goods in the event flooding occurs during the monsoon season.

Kampung Padang Kijang temporary relief centre (PPS) supervisor Mazlan Ashaari, 58, said the village is a hotspot for floods, and residents have taken initiatives to prepare early.

"We have had to evacuate to PPS or our relatives' houses three or four times (because of flooding). The residents have started preparing private boats and some have even built special high shelves to store important items so that they will not be inundated by floodwaters," he told Bernama today.

Mazlan said the water level of the river in the village can usually reach 14 metres, causing flooding that forces residents to evacuate immediately.

"The village will look like an island because of floods, as the main road will be flooded for a distance of 800 metres and the water will be about two metres deep.

A resident, Lokman Zakaria, 53, following his experience with previous floods, to the initiative to build special shelves in his house to store important items.

"I built a two-metre high special shelf to save my things because the water level can be between one and two metres.

"Although I am used to floods, I am still making preparations so that more items are not damaged," he said.

Mat Suhaimi Abdullah, 50, said he had prepared a fibre boat at his house, which is only 100 metres from the river passing through the village.

"This makes it easier for us as a family to move because we will evacuate three or four times to the PPS before the monsoon season ends," he said.

-- BERNAMA