SEGAMAT – A woman heaved a sigh of relief when both her parents and brother who were flood victims in Chaah, near here, were rescued after being trapped for 12 hours.
Kalai Arasi, 29, said she was contacted by his brother D Yogesvaran, 32, at 3 am yesterday (March 1), who informed her that his house in Pekan Chaah had been flooded by a metre deep of water.
She who lives in Johor Bahru was concerned about the condition of his parents, K Dhevaseelan, 65, and S Ramai, 62, who are senior citizens and also suffer from ‘hypertension’.
“When the water started to enter the house, my brother saved important items and documents, while my mother and father took shelter on the wall outside the house hoping that someone would rescue them.
“My brother, mother and father started contacting anyone to be rescued, including the security forces, but their efforts were unsuccessful,” she said when contacted by Bernama, today.
Kalai said she began to worry about the situation and called her brother almost every hour to find out how their parents were doing.
She also contacted friends at the Malaysian National News Agency, who then relayed the information to rescuers including their location.
She said the three of them who were drenched, were later rescued by firemen and armed forces personnel using a boat at 5.30 pm.
“After my brother said they had been taken to the temporary evacuation centre (PPS) at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Seri Bali, I felt relieved and found my appetite.
“By the time the rescuers came, my father had almost fainted due to the cold and hunger, but I am grateful they were saved before nightfall,” she said, who knew the road between Chaah and Labis was closed causing the rescue mission to be delayed.
However, Kalai hopes that flood incidents like this will not happen again, especially to other victims, especially the elderly and those with chronic diseases.
Segamat is currently the most flood-affected district in the state with a total of 7,272 victims.- Bernama
