KUBANG PASU: Just days after returning home from temporary flood relief centres (PPS), residents of two villages here found themselves battling floodwaters again as their homes were submerged for the second time in less than a week.
Checks at Kampung Padang Luar and Kampung Lubuk Batu at 3pm showed residents hastily packing their belongings as floodwaters began to recede again, fearing another surge could strike at any moment.
Kamarulzaman Harun, 60, had just finished cleaning his home after spending a week at the Lubuk Batu PPS, only to wake up this morning to rising water levels reaching hip height.
"I came home on Friday, cleaned up all the debris and mud yesterday, but this morning, I woke up to another disaster," he said when met at his home in Kampung Padang Luar.
Having lived in the area for over 30 years, Kamarulzaman said such severe and persistent flooding was a rarity.
"The worst flood was 14 years ago when my house was completely submerged. Since then, it hardly ever floods, and even when it does, the water never reaches my doorstep.
"But on Sept 20, the water rose to the ceiling before receding, and now it's back to hip height. I'm not even sure how much damage there is yet," said the civil servant, estimating losses of RM5,000 from the first wave.
Radzwan Harun, 63, shared concerns about the possibility of another flood.
Though the water had receded, he feared more upstream rain could force his family to spend another week at the PPS.
"It barely rained here, but Kuala Nerang had heavy downpours, and the water flowed down from there. If it happens again, I might be spending another week at the PPS," said the retired civil servant.
Both villages were hit hard by severe flooding last week, causing significant losses, particularly for padi farmers.
Approximately 1,276 metric tonnes of padi across 232ha in the Lubuk Batu Farmer's Organisation Area (PPK) were destroyed, affecting 93 farmers and causing an estimated RM2.3 million in losses.
Kampung Padang Luar and Kampung Lubuk Batu Village Council (MKK) chairman Ahmad Shukri Abdul Aziz said about 65 households had been affected this time, with most residents relocating to the Lubuk Batu PPS.
"The villagers feel like they've gone out of the frying pan and into the fire. The intensity of the rainfall leading to these floods is unprecedented," he said, urging the government to provide immediate short-term relief.
"There are ongoing flood mitigation projects, but those are long-term solutions. We need immediate assistance, especially for our padi farmers who lost so much in the first flood."
Meanwhile, according to the Welfare Department's disaster info app, as of 4pm, Kubang Pasu is now sheltering 292 evacuees from 106 families at three PPS, up from 259 evacuees from 94 families earlier in the day.
In Pokok Sena, 485 evacuees from 151 families are sheltering in four PPS, up from 153 evacuees this morning.