KUALA LUMPUR: Fifteen families in Kampung Padang Kamunting, Kemaman, Terengganu, refused to return to their homes today even after all temporary flood relief centres in the district officially closed.
Although the floodwaters had receded, the families decided not to go back due to contamination in their homes. Most houses were filled with mud mixed with oil from a nearby construction site.
Residents said they tried to clean the mud from their properties, but failed due to the contamination. The strong odour from the mixture worsened the situation for the 65 individuals in the affected families, forcing them to seek shelter elsewhere.
One resident, Azizah Deraman, told Buletin TV3 that she feared another round of flooding and didn't have the energy to clean her house again.
"It's a traumatising experience, and I don't want to go through cleaning my house twice if it happens again. I don't think I have the strength for it," she said.
She also blamed the poor drainage and irrigation system at the village for the floods and attributed the bad smell to the poorly maintained river in the village.