PENAMPANG: Two days after the district was hit by the worst floods in decades, a husband-and-wife team was out and about, making their way through muddy roads in their village.
The past few days, Gideon Anthony and wife Ellansy Ann Majantim, both 31, voluntarily offered help to other residents in the Kampung Dabak community, bringing over 100 government aid forms to be signed or delivered, coordinating things that need to be done, as well as deliver and store donated food and water.
It was not as if they were spared from the floods after Sungai Moyog broke its banks following five hours of heavy rains on Sunday afternoon and continued pouring until close to midnight.
Gideon's family home, which he shares with his parents, was breached for the first time in nearly 20 years, but together, they managed to clean the ground floor of their two-storey residence.
Once they cleared their place, the couple turned their attention to helping others.
"We were affected too, but it was not as bad as the others in the kampung.
"That's why we decided to help where we can," he said, adding that his parents helped take turns to look after the two children, both girls, as they started moving around the village.
They stopped at some houses where there were those who were vulnerable or elderly and even went to the community representative, Edmund Yapp, to sign forms filled by villagers for government assistance.
"Even the house of our representative was badly hit by the floods.
"So it's only right we help where we can, so as not to delay help," said Gideon who revealed they turned a cafe they ran adjacent to their home into a gathering point to extend help.
Ellansy too helped print documents at their cafe office, communicated with those who sought help and coordinated with other villagers who were doing similar volunteer assistance at the community centre, the former district police station nearby, delivering food baskets.
It was also used as an emergency shelter for those who had to evacuate their homes on Sunday.
"There were others helping out here too, and similarly, in other villages. We were not the only ones," Gideon humbly noted and reiterated: "It's the right thing to do."
The floods activated many volunteer groups from government agencies, non-governmental organisations, political parties, corporate bodies, communities and even individuals in the past week.
Many set aside their differences to reach out to reach out to victims to deliver aid, help clean homes, schools and other establishments.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor took time to check on the situation on Monday and visited those who sought shelter at the Sabah Cultural Centre here.
He had said the state and federal governments were concerned about those affected by flash floods, assuring assistance for all victims.