KUBANG PASU: An elderly couple miraculously survived a terrifying ordeal when a landspout struck their home in Kampung Manggol Bonggor in Kodiang here yesterday.
Eighty-year-old padi farmer Ahmad Mahamud was doing chores while his wife Junah Man, 73, was having a nap when they found themselves thrust in the midst of the twister at around 2.30pm.
Ahmad said the incident was very swift but left him traumatised as he thought he was about to perish when the landspout swept through his house.
"I saw the whole thing charging at my house, I quickly woke up my wife to warn her about it and clung to her. Suddenly, the air slammed shut the door with tremendous force, knocking my wife down to the ground.
"I squatted down and prayed to God. After a few heart-stopping seconds, I opened my eyes to discover almost everything in ruins," he added.
Ahmad, who has been living in the village since 1949, shared that landspouts, locally known as 'ekor tikus', are common in the area but the one that occurred yesterday displayed an unprecedented level of ferocity.
He said he couldn't imagine such incident could occur as most landspouts were much smaller and dissipated before reaching any homes.
"They happen every year... the only two times a landspout destroyed homes was in 1974 and 1994, but this was by far the most ferocious one," he added.
Junah said that it was a miracle that she and her husband survived the ordeal given their old age and severity of the damaged caused by the twister.
"Alhamdulillah, no one was injured, however, the damage dealt here is severe, we would really appreciate all the help we can get to rebuild our home," she added.
Their son, Mohammad Taufik, who resides in a nearby village, estimated the losses incurred by his parents at around RM60,000.
"The house's foundation is still there but the roof has been torn off, kitchen appliances are damaged, wooden walls are demolished and my father's cow shed is completely torn down.
"The wind even managed to uproot large trees and our large bamboo plant, it must have been very strong," said the 38-year-old padi farmer.
Meanwhile, other residents of Kampung Manggol Bonggor supported Ahmad's claim that the landspout yesterday stands as the most severe in their village's history.
Checks around the padi farming community today found rooftop pieces and house parts scattered across the padi fields, with the local residents banding together to clear away the debris.
Shahrizal Abdul Aziz, 41, a mechanic, said he broke out in cold sweat when he saw the landspout heading full speed towards his house and workshop.
Miraculously, the twister switched directions and veered away, but not before leaving its mark on Shahrizal's property.
"When I saw it, it already was carrying debris from other houses, I grabbed all my important documents and managed get away from it.
"Luckily, it didn't go through my property but it was so strong that it still managed to do a lot of damage. My workshop is all over the place right now with some car parts ending up in the padi fields," he added.
Shahrizal and other villagers claimed that the twister reached wind speeds well over 120km per hour, insisting it was the strongest in local history.
Yesterday, it was reported that some 10 houses in Kampung Manggol Bonggor were in ruins after the village was wrecked by a landspout.
State Malaysia Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director Khalil Abd Aziz explained that the weather patterns occurring during the Monsoon Transition Period brewed up the storm and landspout.
He warned such phenomenon could happen again within the Monsoon Transition Period which persists from September until November.