Uncertain future for homestay operator in the aftermath of floods

Mohamad Kamarul Anuar, 26, who had just started his venture four years ago on his family's ancestral property sustained losses of around RM50,000 and admitted that it would be a challenge for him to bounce back from this recent setback.

"When the floods hit (Dec 18), we had just finished holding a wedding event at our place and it was the first event here after so long as we did not open for business after the movement control order ended.

"Usually, we would be fully booked from the end of this year till ealry next year, but unfortunately as soon as we wanted to reopen, this disaster struck," he told Bernama when met at Teratak Dusun D'Lui, Sungai Lui, here today.

Checks by Bernama around Teratak Dusun D'Lui revealed beds, furniture and catering equipment destroyed after being submerged in floodwaters along with several damaged homestay units that were under construction.

Mohamad said it would be hard to deal with the flood losses as his business was still relatively new and relied on affordable packages as its business model.

"Here, we charge around RM3,000 to RM4,000 for an event, depending on the customer's requests, and we don't get bookings daily. The same goes for our homestays," he said.

The Tuanku Sultanah Bahiyah polytechnic graduate, however, was still optimistic and expected that the business would be back in operation in the middle of next year.

"We can never predict when and how disaster strikes, so we have to be prepared mentally and physically. If we feel we have it bad, there might be others who are facing much worse situations, some have lost their homes, others their lives. So whatever it is, we should be thankful with what we have," he added.