Baling floods: Man's brave, quick-thinking action saves siblings, neighbour

BALING - The quick-thinking and brave action of a villager helped to save his three siblings and a neighbour who were trapped in the floods in Kampung Padang Empang near here yesterday.

Mohd Nazrol Ramli, 30, said it was 6pm and the rain had not stopped, so he and his three brothers began moving the furniture and other items to the top floor of their house as they were afraid the floodwater would enter the premises.

"We were still moving the household items when at about 7pm, there was a strong gush of water and it surrounded our house and six others.

"My brothers and I were trapped, and also was a woman in one of the nearby houses. By then, other villagers were shouting for us to leave the house for fear that it would be hit by driftwood and logs carried by the flood water,” he said when met by Bernama here today.

Fearing for their safety, Mohd Nazrol said he braved the strong current and swam across the floodwater which had formed like a river, four times to bring his three siblings and the neighbour to safer ground.

Another villager, Rosnani Sahak, 44, said although yesterday’s flood that hit the village was not as bad as the one on July 4, it still traumatised her.

Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman Ahmad, 70, said immediate action needed to be taken by the authorities to prevent more damage to property with the flood incident becoming more frequent in the area.

Baling district Civil Defence Force (APM) officer Lt (PA) Mohd Faizol Ab Aziz said as of 4 pm today, a total of 128 victims from 36 families are still being housed at two relief centres (PPS), namely the Dewan Terbuka Kampung Padang Empang and Dewan Masjid Al Huda Kampung Hangus. - BERNAMA