IPOH: A two-hour downpour has caused flash floods in four low-lying areas near Sungai Klebang here.
The torrential rain, which started at about 4pm on Monday, broke the bunds of the river, affecting at least 40 families in Kampung Seri Klebang Tambahan 2, Kampung Tersusun Klebang Selatan, Kelebang Bayu and Taman Bertuah.
Some of the houses were reported to be totally submerged while waist-high muddy waters damaged other homes, forcing the families to be evacuated to SK Seri Klebang.
Among the victims were husband and wife Laili Aziddin, 57, and Hamidah Sulaiman, 56, who described their predicament as “history repeating itself”.
“It happened to us in 2006, and we had almost nothing left as the water ruined all our electrical appliances and furniture.
“This time, it was no different. My family and I could only watch as our home was inundated within half an hour.
“We found one of our two refrigerators floating on the water, and our clothes and furniture were ruined as well,” said retiree Laili.
The couple have six children, aged between 17 and 30. Four with them while the two eldest work out of town.
Returning to clean up her home in Kampung Seri Klebang Tambahan 2 yesterday morning, Hamidah broke down when she saw the state of the house that she and her family had been staying in for 11 years.
“Almost everything is completely wrecked. How are we going to be able to afford to replace all our damaged items?
“Thankfully, four of our children are living with us. Otherwise, it would take a long time for two senior citizens to finish cleaning up the whole place,” she said.
Meanwhile in Taman Bertuah, about 2.7km from Kampung Seri Klebang Tambahan 2, homemaker Ooi Yew Lan said she was at her mother-in-law’s house when she received a call from her neighbours about the flash floods at around 10pm.
The 54-year-old said her husband and children were out of town at the time.
“When I reached my residential area, I could not even enter with my car because the water level was quite high.
“I had to park a distance away and wade through the floodwaters to make it to my house,” she said.
The water subsided at about 2am, and Ooi had no choice but to put up for the night at her mother-in-law’s house because her own home was “filthy”.
“I came back the next day (Dec 9) and was relieved that most of my furniture were not damaged,” she said.
Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the flash floods occurred due to the breaking of the bunds surrounding Sungai Klebang.
“The authorities scrambled to get row boats to bring the victims to safety,” added Dr Zambry, who was on the ground to assist evacuation efforts at around midnight.
The state Drainage and Irrigation Department had been directed to check the integrity of bunds especially in flood prone areas such as Hilir Perak and Kerian.
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