On 15th December 2014, Malaysians experienced the worse floods in decades that affected over 200,000 people and while 21 were killed. The heavy monsoon rains brought floods to areas of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak and Sabah which had reached dangerous levels.
However, the exact numbers of evacuees, missing persons and deaths are unknown, as the Malaysian flood centre were unable to provide any accurate figures. While being on the scene of the disaster I experience flood waters up to 6 to 9 meters high in some areas.
Locals were stranded, out of food, no clean drinking water, displaced and with poor health conditions.
Here are some compilation of images and real stories of those who were affected by the floods in Malaysia. These faces represent every flood survivors and families who are still suffering and awaiting help from local authorities and NGOs.
The media might have stopped speaking about them but many are still in need of rebuilding of their homes, proper healthcare, education, sustainable income and basic human needs.
Here are some of the short stories.
Rebuilding From Scrap
It had been a long day for us, seeing all the destroyed homes and locals living in tents in Kuala Krai. I was heading out of this village when I saw this man scavenging through some scraps and left over parts of broken houses.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m just cleaning this part of a roof for my house.”
“So then where do you live now?”
“Over there in the tent, but I have nothing else to do so I come here daily to find parts to try and rebuild my house again. I can’t even go back to work as we lost everything and I have to be here now, so best I look for scrap. I don’t expect help to come anytime soon, I’m gonna build a shelter for my family first. For us this is how life is today. So tell me what can you do to help me?”
“I will share your story.”
(Kampung Dusun Nyiur, Kuala Krai – Malaysia)
“I Am Very Strong.”
She said something really beautiful to me yesterday after our first relief aid distribution in Kuantan areas.
“It’s heavy, can you carry it?”
“Yes I am very strong, I can carry it. It’s for my brother and other younger sister.”
(Kuantan, Pahang)
A Little Boat and A Coconut
I walked downhill and saw the lake water of Tasik Chini covering some houses almost to the roof top, felt like the tribe houses were part of the ecosystem of the floods and the lake. From a distance I saw this old women was on a tiny boat and she was splashing water on a house with a small coconut shell. I got on a boat and made my way towards her.
“Hi, what are you doing?”
“Washing my house, look at it now, it’s full of water and dirt, even inside.”
“How high was the flood water before?”
“Ah it was up to the roof, now it’s going down, so I can start cleaning the walls first. I come daily to clean little by little”
“Why are you cleaning now and not wait for the water to reach all the way down?”
“I do this daily as I can reach the top parts, when the water is down, it will be too high for me to reach, I’m not that tall!”
(Tasik Chini, Pahang)
My Muddy Clothes After The Flood
From a distance I saw this street looking like an Indian dhobi ghat (laundry), with hundreds of clothes hanging out side and being washed on the floor outside an old village house. They were muddy clothes ruined by the floods. Curiously I walked into the home where I found a group of five busy washing.
“Wow those are a lot of dirty clothes?”
“Yeah, all wet and muddy after our house was flooded. This are all our clothes from my family, we are eight of us living here.”
“Was this the worse experience you had?”
“I never seen the floods this high before. The water was up to the top of the front door, so we tried to save our important belongings but most were still destroyed, and the clothes too. They are all wet, muddy and smelly now.”
“So you left your homes?”
“Yeah, when the floods started getting worse, we left. I just got back after one week and now it’s cleaning time. I been washing this clothes for two days now, and I’m still not done yet, I have to wash them over and over again.”
“You should get some help right?”
“Of course that’s better, why not you help me, you are just sitting there taking my photos.”
She laughed and smirked at my embarrassment. This Kota Bahru families were the friendliest and strongest folks I met.
(Kota Bahru, Kelantan)
A Hidden Smile
She just sat there watching us send the food aid to her father and the other flood survivors. Not moving from her spot, her eyes gazed far into what was the condition of her house today.
A few days ago the water level was as high as her window, as high as where she sat today, where she sat waiting for help to come. I asked her how are things, she didn’t reply. She put her head down and looked at the water level at her feet, silently.”
We put the box of water by the door step. “This is for you and your family.” She looked at the box and she smiled a little, or maybe it’s just me imagining to see a smile.”
(Kemaman, Terengganu)
The Boy On A Poll
He was standing on this poll watching me walk around through the flood waters in Kemaman with a cheeky smile.
“Kenapa adik tak main dalam air macam budak lain?”
“Tak nak la.”
“Kenapa?.”
“Ini air tahi….itu huh kat belakang awak.”
“Why don’t you play in the water like the other kids?”
“I don’t want to.”
“Why?”
“This is sewage water… there it’s behind you.”
I looked back and a huge sewage tank system was flooded and all the waste water was around me.
(Kemaman, Pahang)
Burning Memories
It was like a scene from a movie, after the floods, open burnings with smoke and fire all around the streets after a war. Like those old German movies where tanks pass by the streets while the hero looks out of the hatch and sees grey smoke and rubble everywhere. (I was in a car).
“Is this the worse floods you have seen in your lifetime?”
“I have seen many floods happening here, but it’s getting bad now, but a flood is always a flood. We will always loose what we own.”
“What’s your worse experience this time?”
“I lost all my favorite items, my chair, my cabinet and my table. I used them for many years, I worry I won’t be able to afford to buy new once, I’m a poor man. Nobody is gonna help me.”
“Did you get any aid from NGOs?”
“No who wants to help an old man! They send all the aid in the school in town, it’s too far for me, I’m not going there. Doesn’t matter, I don’t care if nobody wants to help, I have my family and sons to clean up the house. What can I do now, I lost everything. This is how my life is.”
(Kota Bharu, Kelantan)
Unsung Heroes Of The East Coast Floods
I met Hanifi when I joined a convoy to Kuala Krai into the flood areas there, he was one of the leaders for the group that does mission relief work in many flood zones since day one it happened. A 4WD group made of good friends and volunteers.
“What’s your thoughts about all the mission relief work happening for the floods today?”
“People think it’s easy to just raise funds and send aid to those affected here, there is so much effort that we need to do up front, forget sleep, jobs or health. I learn from my past mistakes on how to do it more effectively. During the last year flood mission we sent food aid directly to the aid centre and learned that most of the aid never reached the people who lived far inside. Mainly the elderly and children. It gets wasted or ‘misused’ there.”
“So what do you do?”
“The best way is to send it directly to the needy, don’t get lazy or do it for publicity reasons, we give the aid by hand to those effected. We don’t send to aid centre as we learn as some centres the relief/food aid is distributed based on political standings.”
“Wow that’s just sad, so how about the rest?”
“I saw an old man walk for 2km one time, half submerged in flood waters to an aid centre, he was asked to eat food there at the centre and was not allowed to take food aid back to his families. So how about his wife and children who are stuck in the flooded homes!!?”
“Another volunteer heard this boat man refusing to help the flood victims to cross a river and asked for a big fees just to use his boat, so he drove his 4×4 thru the water to help transport trapped villagers who wanted to get out. Another experience is that I heard a flood victim saw the baby drown while clinging to a tree to save himself. So we always choose to help directly as thats our preferred way, we are thankful donors support us and we can keep going. We don’t spend time thinking about the bad but we need to see the good in people. I’m sorry but I have tears in my eyes when ever I talk about this.”
(Kelantan, Malaysia)
Tolerance Needed Within
I was walking into this small town in Kuala Krai which was over flooded by mud, destroyed material items and the smell of rubbish. I saw this boy sitting down just gathering mud on the side and using only a small sponge to clean the front entrance of his home.
“Have you ever experience the floods before?”
“Not really, this is my first time.”
“So what do you think life will be like for you now?”
“I don’t know, we all have to work together, pray and have patience, I’m sure it will get better for us. We need more tolerance in all of us today.”
I walked away with a smile on my face… he inspired me.
(Kuala Krai, Malaysia)
I Need A New Kitchen
She was sitting in a make shift tent where her house use to be, till a relief aid volunteer came and asked her about her well-being. She wanted to get her kitchen working again with a broken muddy stove. She lost everything due to the floods, home destroyed and starting all over seems nearly impossible.
She still kept insisting that her kitchen just needs cleaning and she will still be able to use her broken muddy stove. Seeing her helpless condition, the volunteers got her a new stove, food aid and a new gas tank from the aid they brought along.
“How long have you been staying here?”
“Since I got married, I’m not sure how long now but it’s been many years. This house was build by my husband. He is not alive anymore so maybe it will be hard for me to start all over again. I really don’t know.”
“I’m sorry, I know it’s not easy, so how are you doing at the moment?”
“I’m cleaning my kitchen, see my stove is here and I want to start cooking again. Thankfully I got a new stove now.”
“Yes but there is no kitchen area here, it’s all destroyed and gone.”
“It’s okay I can still clean it and hope to cook here again.”
“Was this part of your house too?”
“Yes yes, look here, this was a room upstairs, then where you stand was my kitchen and behind me was my dining and living area.”
She kept insisting her kitchen is good for cooking, but clearly it was all destroyed and nothing was left.
“Can I take your photo?”
“Yes sure, do you like me to stand on my stairway to the room?”
She desperately need new home, cleaning of the destroyed home and new livelihood items. Life needs to restart here so humanity can live on. Please do share so help can get here soon.
(Kampung Aur Duri, Kampung Dusun Nyiur, Kuala Krai)
Keeping My Memories Strong
While walking around a neighbourhood where all the houses were destroyed by the floods, I saw this lady carefully putting out some items on her porch and I notice some of them were photo albums. I then asked if I could come up and see them. She agreed and started showing me page by page and telling me stories about who is in those photos.
“Are this your family albums?”
“Yes there are, my family and grandchildren photos. I have only one daughter but they are all of my family, cousins and others.”
“But they are all smudged now from the floods, do you have the negatives?”
“No I don’t, these is all I have. I’ll keep them here and see them daily, until the day I finally burn them.”
As a photographer, I knew how painful that was. She smiled at me and went on enjoying every moment from the photos, as she had only memories with her.
(Kuala Krai, Kelantan)
Share their stories. Malaysian East Coast Floods.
