YAN: For the past three years, Fuziah Morad, 56, has never set foot at her family's fruit orchard located in Titi Hayun here.
The pain of losing a brother in the Gunung Jerai water column disaster on July 18, 2021, and another six months later is too much to bear.
"My two elder brothers, Zainol and Abdullah, were the ones who had been taking care of the family's fruit orchard.
"Since they were gone, the orchard has been left unattended. I can't bring myself back to the site. It is simply devastating to be there without having them around," said Fuziah, holding back her tears.
She said both her late brothers lived in Alor Star and returned to the village to work in the orchard during the fateful incident.
"The rain started pouring about 4.30pm. But I noticed that it wasn't just normal rainfall. It was unusually heavy.
"About 5.10pm the villagers rushed to inform me that both my brothers and their workers were swept away by a water column.
"The authorities immediately mounted a search and rescue operation to locate them," she said.
Fuziah, the youngest child in the family, said the body of Zainol, who was 66 then, was found under the ruins of a house built in the orchard.
She said Abdullah was found safe, stuck amongst debris, hours later.
"Despite surviving the disaster, my brother's health kept deteriorating, and he passed away six months later at the age of 56 following a lung infection," added Fuziah from Kampung Permatang Keramat here.
Fuziah said she would forever be in debt to her two late brothers who had been looking after her and two other sisters, Zaini and Harina, when they were young.