JITRA: The Media Prima-New Straits Times Press (NSTP) Volunteer Brigade today brought cheer to over 1,500 flood victims who were affected by the recent flood disaster in Kedah and Perlis.
The volunteers distributed aid comprising dry food, basic necessities and cleaning utensils to the victims, who were evacuated to relief centres around the state after their homes were flooded two weeks ago.
The goods were from public donations to the NSTP-Media Prima Disaster Fund, while the post-flood aid mission today was organised in collaboration with GCH Retail (M) Sdn Bhd, the operator of Giant Hypermarket chain.
In Kedah, some 533 flood victims from five villages in Kubang Pasu received the aid.
The brigade’s spokesman Shukor Othman said the victims were from five villages — Kampung Lubuk Batu, Kampung Kepala Batu, Kampung Kota Mengkuang, Kampung Teja and Kampung Padang Luar.
“The project is part of our effort to ease the burden of flood victims in Kedah and Perlis. This programme was made possible thanks to the generous contribution to the NST-Media Prima Disaster Fund.
“We collaborated with Perlis Giant Hypermarket, which generously provided discount for this humanitarian mission and assisted us in transporting the items,” he said after distributing the aid at Kubang Pasu District Office.
Present was Kubang Pasu senior assistant officer Wan Noor Hanim Wan Yusoff, who commended the media conglomerate for the humanitarian effort.
Earlier, the volunteer brigade distributed aid to 1,034 flood victims in Perlis in a ceremony held at Dewan Wawasan in Kangar.
Shukor said the aid was given to 551 flood evacuees who were evacuated to SK Bintong flood relief centre and another 483 victims who were relocated to SK Panggau.
One of the recipients from Kampung Lubuh Batu, Ismail Jaafar, 66, said he was touched by the gesture.
“The cleaning up process was tiring so I decided not to move furniture at my home downstairs as yet for fear of another wave of floods. I am also grateful to caring Malaysians for their donations as these enabled the volunteer brigade to channel the aid to us,” he said.
Ismail said he was forced to spend two days at the flood relief centre when his house was inundated by a metre of water.
Kampung Lubuk Batu village head Harun Ramli said some of the villagers were still cleaning their homes which had been hit by floods.
He said the cleaning utensils contributed by the volunteer brigade would be useful.
Harun also said they were closely monitoring the water level at Sungai Lubuk Batu which is still high due to the recent heavy rainfall.
“We hope there will be no second wave of floods in the state but we are bracing for any possibility,” he said.
One of the recipients in Kangar, Dahalan Talib, 56, who lives with his 82-year-old mother Zainab Ahmad, also expressed gratitude for the aid.
Living from hand-to-mouth on a RM150 monthly allowance from the state Welfare Department, Dahalan said he truly appreciated the aid.
“I could no longer work due to a heart ailment and we are fully dependent on the monthly aid from the department. We suffered losses when our house in Wang Ulu was inundated by knee-deep water during the flood and this aid essential items will help to cover our needs for up to two weeks,” he said.
It was reported that over 4,000 people in Kedah and Perlis had been evacuated after their homes were hit by flood following several days of unusual heavy downpour two weeks ago.
The Meteorological Department has predicted that the northern states will be getting more rain in October and November due to the southwest monsoon transition.