RANTAU PANJANG: Residents with children who will sit for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) are making extra preparations to face the possibility of inclement weather.
Every monsoon season, these families make sure their homes, properties and livestocks are not affected by the flood.
This year, they must also find a solution for their children who are scheduled to sit for this major examination next month.
Housewife Noriah Setapa said she began keeping her daughter's textbooks and other school equipment at a safer place since last night.
"After my husband informed me about the weather forecast by the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) that heavy rain will start this Saturday, I immediately asked my daughter to make necessary preparations.
"I told her to keep her schoolbag and other school equipment at one place to make it easier for her to grab them quickly if our village is hit by flood.
"I give priority to her things first before I pack our family's other belongings," said Noriah, 51, who is a mother of eight.
She said her fifth daughter Noramira Salwani Zakaria will be sitting for the SPM at her school in SM Gual Periok, here.
Another flood victim, Norehan Jusoh said she planned to send her daughter Norhasmida Kamaruddin to a relative's house. Norhasmida will be sitting for her SPM this year.
"It will depend on the situation.
"If our village is badly hit by flood and the road in the village was submerged by the flood water, I definitely will send her to the relative's house not far away from our home.
"I'm afraid I cannot give my full attention to her as having five more children to look after and to face the flood that normally enters our home. It might be difficult," said Norehan, 49, a mother of six.
The New Straits Times met the two women at their homes in Kampung Bendang Perol here today.
The both said that they would move to the SK Tok Deh relief centre if their village is flooded.
The Education Ministry recently said it has mobilised a committee to deal with the northeast monsoon season and gazetted 5,063 schools nationwide as flood relief centres.
Its minister, Fadhlina Sidek said the committee that encompasses ministries and agencies will be involved in preparing relief centres, asset transfers, volunteers as well as handling the provision for post-disaster maintenance.
She said the ministry had issued a letter in October to ensure all our schools especially schools selected to be relief centres are reminded of this.
She had also said that her team made preparations to face the fallout from the northeast monsoon for Form Five students who will be sitting for the SPM examination beginning Dec 5.