KOTA TINGGI: The favourable weather in Kota Tinggi earlier today saw traders and their workers in the town centre cleaning their business premises, which were affected by the recent floods in the area.
Checks by Bernama in the town centre found that most workers were busy cleaning the floors of the premises, that were filled with mud and debris, even though they were aware that their premises might end up being flooded again if heavy rain occurs later in the afternoon or evening.
Those interviewed generally considered cleaning the mud-stained floors as a mandatory ritual at the beginning of each year for residents and business owners in the area due to floods.
The owner of a dental clinic, Dr. T. Kanniappan, who is in his 50s, said that three dental treatment machines in his clinic were damaged due to the flood that started last Sunday, causing business activities in the town to come to a halt.
He said that floodwaters in the town centre rose rapidly following heavy rain on that day, preventing him from saving items in his clinic.
"It started raining heavily at 5pm, and I did not expect it to become such a severe flood. I went to Johor Baru to visit another one of my clinics, and when I returned here at 10pm, floodwaters had inundated the clinic, and I could not do anything," he told Bernama at his clinic.
He opened the clinic here in 1996 and described this flood as one of the worst to hit the area.
"During last year's flood, I managed to make some preparations, and the loss was only about RM30,000, but this time I could not do anything," he said.
A polyclinic employee, Nur Hidayah Rajimin, 26, said she and other workers started cleaning the premises early to prevent the mud on the floor from hardening and becoming difficult to clear and remove.
"We started cleaning early to make it easier; if we leave it for a long time, the mud will become hard. I know it's the rainy season now; floodwaters might rise again by tonight or early tomorrow. If conditions improve by tomorrow, the clinic may be able to resume operations," she said.
Meanwhile, a survey by Bernama in the surrounding areas found that there were still many people who disregarded safety by going out to play in the floodwaters.
Several individuals were seen blatantly ignoring their own safety, wading through floodwaters to record videos and take pictures for their respective social media channels, and there were even some who brought their young children with them for such risky activities. — Bernama