KUALA KRAI:For Nik Baharuddin Ibrahim, 59, the completion of new homes for flood victims in Kampung Dusun Nyior here is a great relief.
He was among 10 families forced to live in tents provided by non-governmental organisations for almost a year after they lost their houses in the huge 2014 floods.
‘Our lives were very uncomfortable then, especially those who have many children. But we had no choice and accepted the situation as a test from God.
‘Thankfully, there was no shortage of food and other necessities during our stay there from early 2015.’
Nik Baharuddin said they were happy when they received their new homes to replace the old ones they lost.
‘We finally got back our lives,’ said the father of nine.
Another flood victim, Nik Marhaeni Nik Mat, 39, said the floods in 2014 were the worst in the state’s history.
‘We now have a new home, but those distressing moments when the floods came will be etched in our memories forever.
‘We will never forget how we had to fight for our lives, when logs carried by the tides smashed into our houses, and waist-deep mud prevented us from going anywhere.We had to vacate our houses immediately,” she said.
‘The village was under nearly 10 metres of water. I was nine months pregnant with my fifth child.
‘I delivered a baby boy at Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital in January 2015. The incident traumatises me until today,’ said the mother of seven.
At the height of the flood, all 10 families who lost their homes were evacuated to a relief centre in Mengkebang.
Checks by NST in the village showed that the situation had returned to normal. The 2014 floods in Kelantan saw more than 100,000 people affected, mainly in Kuala Krai and Gua Musang.
Many experts believed the flood was the worst in the state’s history. The Kuala Krai district “vanished” temporarily from the map as 14 villages were inundated.
Losses were estimated at RM200 million.