Yan residents traumatised after homes flooded three times in two months

YAN: Residents here are traumatised after the district was struck by flash floods again yesterday -- the third time after the mudflow tragedy last Aug 18.

A Bernama survey discovered that properties were badly affected by yesterday's flooding when homes filled with mud damaged electrical and home appliances.

A resident, Natirah Nayan, 60, from Kampung Seberang Pekan Yan, said she was already traumatised by the previous situation which caused her to lose sleep whenever it rains since her home is near the river.

"When it rains and the sound of frogs appear, I definitely can't sleep. I don't even dare to sleep because I'm afraid the water will rise.

"The second time my house was flooded was last week. The third time was yesterday, muddy water flowed into the house," she said when met by reporters at her home today.

Recalling yesterday's flooding, Natirah said she realised her home was flooded after returning home from work at about 7 pm. Not having rested after the task of cleaning her house after last August's flooding, Natirah said she had to repeat the cleaning process all over again.

"When the house was flooded for the first time last August, the mud cakes were very thick, my family and I had to work extra hard to clean the house. Yesterday, my house was flooded with muddy water again. It's back to cleaning the house. I am so tired," she said.

Following this, Natirah said she hoped the relevant parties would take quick action to widen the river nearby in a move to prevent a recurrence for the comfort and safety of residents in the long run.

Her brother Amzaini Nayan, 59, who is also a resident of the same village said, the water level rose up to his hip level which resulted in water flowing into his home after one hour of rain when the drain water overflowed.

"After the water head(mudflow) tragedy last August, we made a report to the relevant authority asking them to deepen the existing drains but nothing was done. So now I appeal again to the authorities to take action quickly to deepen the drain."

Yesterday, the media reported that 160 homes in several villages in the Yan district were affected after a flash flood following a heavy downpour since yesterday evening.

Kedah Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) Head of Disaster Operations Division Captain (PA) Saifuddin Abdullah was reported as saying 100 houses were affected by the disaster in the Singkir mukim. Also affected were homes in Yan.

Meanwhile, the owners of a grocery shop and a motorcycle spare parts and service workshop have complained of losses amounting to RM8,000 each after their business premises were flooded twice due to flash floods.

Checks by Bernama found that their premises were filled with mud after floodwaters subsided and revealed the extent of the damage to their businesses.

The grocery shop owner, Abdullah Samsudin, 61, said the effects of the flooding yesterday caused him to lose RM3,000 while another RM5,000 when disaster struck the first time last Aug 18.

"This is the second time it flooded, after the waterhead tragedy last August. This time the loss is unlike the first time because this time I had made early preparations.

"The only problem is the damaged goods were only recently stocked last Wednesday. I didn't have time to put them on the rack and they were submerged in floodwaters," he said when met by Bernama at his shop.

-- BERNAMA