RANTAU PANJANG: The yearly flood has yet to hit Kelantan, but villagers living in low-lying areas here are ready to face any eventuality.
Apart from building a small bridge connecting the main road to their houses, villagers, especially those from Kampung Terusan located along the Golok river, have started to build “higher” rooms to store their belongings in case of floods.
Villager Mohd Nizam Ismail said his father, Ismail Salleh, started to build a small room about 3.5m high close to their home since last month that was 80 per cent complete.
“Every time a flood hits the village, my house and 49 others will be inundated because of the overflowing Golok river.
“A few days before the flood, we will normally have gotong-royong to build the mini bridge connecting our homes to the main road, but this year, my family decided to also set up a room attached to our kitchen.
“This will allow us to store belongings such as the television, sofa and other important items,” said the 40-year-old teacher of SK Sungai Terah, Gua Musang, who spent about RM40,000 on the renovation.
Housewife Zaharah Awang, 72, said her family would build a bridge whenever there were signs of flood hitting the area.
“Like in the previous years, my son-in-law, Mohd Nawi Abdullah, 49, would set up the bridge made from bamboo as a precaution.
“Apart from that, my grandson Mohamad Izariq Mohd Nawi, 19, would ensure our sampan could be used during a flood.
“This is important for our safety,” said Zaharah, who has seven grandchildren.
The Meteorological Department said the northeast monsoon began on Oct 24 and would end in March.
During this season, heavy monsoon rain is expected to occur in the eastern coastal states of the peninsula.