Where do I start with this posting about the recent flood...it seems eons ago that I write in this blog and I do want to continue writing just so to give the grey matter a nudge to be a bit active. I voiced out my 'dilemma' to my editor sister and she had a great idea...hey why not you start when we were children in the sixties and early seventies we just can't wait for the next round of flood to come???....hmmmm not a bad idea writing about that anticipation of waking up in the morning to see brownish murky muddy water filling the compound of our house, it was like having a giant swimming pool for us to play in. Big floods small floods are common in my life growing up as a child having being raised in a house quite near Sungai Kelantan. Always my sisters and I had a whale of a time wading and splashing (but never learn how to swim!) in the flood water but then we were kids and we never understand why Mok and Ayoh were worried when the monsoon season rolled in.
This is hubby's narration in his own words....
It was Wednesday evening 24th December 2014 around 6 pm came out in my mind to go and see what is the actual condition of the water level of Kelantan river. I was so suprised to see the water level had rose up higher than the Kampung Sungai Budur behind me. I was standing against the concrete wall which is part of the barricade built to control flood from flooding the town of Kota Bharu. Some low areas in Kampung Sungai Budur were already flooded about a foot or more and I calculated that at this situation most of the area should have been flooded including the area where I am staying. I was informed by nearby folks there the water control gate will be opened that night to release the water or else the concrete barricade will be destroyed due to the swift current. I rushed home with so many things jumbled up in my mind what should be prepared as for sure in another 4 hours the water level will definitely rise up.
The length of concrete wall holding fort against the rising water but at last have to give way to the already swollen river...we went to take a look at this concrete wall after the flood, most part had crumbled to the ground due to the force of the flood.
The length of concrete wall holding fort against the rising water but at last have to give way to the already swollen river...we went to take a look at this concrete wall after the flood, most part had crumbled to the ground due to the force of the flood.
The control gate that had to be open to release the flood water that engulfed KB town on the night of Christmas
Water, water, water everywhere and it was deep on the side of the fence..it has become a waterway for motor boats, sampans on the deep side
somehow one perahu/sampan and a motor boat collided on the other side of our fence...the current was swift
The water level was still rising when I took this picture and creeped inside our foyer and lower kitchen
a neighbour parked his motor boat in the compound...kereta sudah tidak berguna lagi
this generator set was our saviour for a whole six days since electricity and water was cut off early on Christmas morning. Husband bought this gen set when we moved in 2005 since we were always experiencing frequent black outs in our area. I would say we were lucky as we were not using 'air kerajaan' but dig a well at the back of the house and uses an electric pump to bring up the supply of water. So we had our normal supply of electricity (for limited hours only though) and water when other flood victims had to live without during that period. The problem we faced was the constant supply of petrol for the generator set, husband had to go out wading in chest high water in search of a petrol station that was not flooded and how much can he carry home but for a couple of bottles at a time..but we sufficed.
the aftermath of the flood...rubbish of all sorts got stuck in the fence.
the aftermath at husband's younger brother's house...see the watermark level above his head..he was not home when the flood hits his area, only a few household things can be salvaged, he had moved few things up to the second floor earlier before leaving the house since the area where he stay was often badly hit by flood in the past years and like everybody else had not anticipate the recent flood was the mother of all floods that had hit Kelantan.
