Flood stories...

Flood season... road is cut off already and I think most of my colleagues will not be able to make it to work. My own area is also starting to have water coming in. In the last major flood of 2005, our house was spared as it was on higher ground. But many neighbouring houses were more than thigh deep.

The first sign is always the cars parked along the road. These days sign of affluence is there... most kampung folks own cars too, some more than one also. But cars are a necessity these days, the public transport is really bad.

Guess what flies off the shelf during a time like this?? Drinking water!! Rising water means the pump houses cannot operate. So you have a quirky situation where there's water everywhere but not a drop from your tap, if your water comes from those affected pump houses. I always wonder why the water people don't come out with a design that can elevate the pump house or something along that line so that the water supply will not be disrupted. Right now, even those people not affected directly by the flood have no water supply.

Was at TESCO first thing it was opened and already there were people bathing in the toilets. Goes back to the water problem again. And when I came out, an old makcik asked me whether the toilets had water. People are flocking to those public places with water. In a way, I guess TESCO is doing a public service. There'll be more people flocking there today I guess, if their water supply is not affected.

Some schools are not accessible. Yet my colleague tells me that certain Heads insist that the teachers must report themselves for work at the school nearest to them. If you head towards Jitra, the whole area is a disaster zone. Water level in town went up more than 4-5 feet in many areas. So, if a school is located in the vicinity in all likelihood majority of the teachers (and students) will be stuck at home or affected by the inundated roads. What is the purpose of reporting to work at a school not yours??? No brainer!!!! And most people have things such as these.... safety, damage to property, etc, etc.... on their minds.

Anyway, Jitra is basically quite cut off now. Most of their access roads are under water. I've got friends still stuck in Hatyai from last weekend.

And break-ins. In times like this, there are those who have no qualms about profiting illegally from other people's predicaments. Some literally drove up in lorries and carted away goods from the shops. The authorities have obviously failed here.

On rescue operations.... we're still a divided nation. Most rescue workers are Malays. Some people complain that the rescue boats pick up people by the preference of skin colour. Go figure what has happened to our country.... almost single race civil service, etc. The politicians are to be blamed... someday, the undoing of our country will be traced back to their doing.

But I notice how life goes on as usual for the unaffected. It's surreal to see sometimes. I remember thinking to myself how normal life looked on the outside for the unaffected in the last major flood. We went on for days without power and a day or so without water and it was a worrying time. Then, when you drive out of your disaster zone... and everything is so normal. That's life too...

Flood water in our area spreads slowly cos we're downstream and near the coast (the water has to lalu our area)... Such kind of flood is like a cancer. You can anticipate it, make some preparations but you are helpless against it. Sometimes you get 'lucky' in the sense that it gets into your area but passes you by. And you are spared. Sometimes you get hit real bad and it can really bowl you over.

Anyway, I hope it won't get any worse... Deepavali is just around the corner.