KANGAR: Being evacuated from their home due to flood disaster is hassle to just anyone but it is even more challenging for disabled persons like Siti Aishah Mat, 76, who is paralysed from waist down.
However, the wheel-chair bound elderly who is left alone after her husband passed away few year back, is grateful that she is being well taken care by government agencies staff at the SK Bintong flood relief centre.
Moving around at the school, particularly getting to the restroom is an uphill task for Siti Aishah since the school is lack of disabled-friendly facility.
"They are quick to respond and never failed to assist me to the restroom even even at midnight.
"At least four of them will help carry me to the wheelchair and the female staff will accompany me inside the restroom," she said.
Aishah, from Abi Beseri had been relocated to the relief centre with the help of the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) staff after her house was inundated by ankle deep water on Friday morning.
"I was extremely worried if I could not leave the house on time, but luckily a passer-by heard my shouts for help contacted the APM staff arrived in just few minutes and took me here," she said.
Aishah is one of the over 400 evacuees who are taking temporary shelter at the relief centre.
Due to the lack of designated facilities for disabled people at the school, the staff here keep a close eye on the evacuees with special needs.
Besides providing wheelchair for those who have difficulties to move, they also help the needy evacuees to get on their wheelchair, take them to the restroom and even assist them with their chores.
A state Welfare Department staff Nurul Jannah Sabri said the department provided wheelchair and adult diapers for disabled evacuees, besides constantly checking on their condition.
"Our major constraint is the absence disabled-friendly facility at this school such as the restroom, but together with personnel from the police force, the People's Volunteer Corps (Rela), APM, the Health Department and the Fire and Rescue Department are trying our best to make the needy evacuees feel comfortable," she said.
In response, Perlis Welfare Department director Mohammad Hazam Ismail acknowledged that all the relocation centres in the state were not equipped with disabled-friendly facilities.
Although the multipurpose halls and schools were not often used as relocation centres, Hazam said it was high time to integrate disabled-friendly facility at the buildings not only for the convenience of disabled persons, but also senior citizens and pregnant women.
"I understand that it is not often that these buildings such as the schools or community hall being used to house natural disaster victims, but I believe it will pay off to make minor upgrading to these buildings to cater to the needs of physically challenged people.
"By having ram for wheelchair and disabled-friendly toilet, those in need may move around as ease and much safer. Some of them appeared to be uncomfortable to have to rely on the staff especially when they wish to go to the restroom," he said.