For Things To Move, Politicians Must Suffer...

This is from The Star. Must our politicians fall sick or have their houses flooded for actions to be taken? Najib is allocating RM5 million to the KL GH Intensive Care Unit because he noticed that the ICU was rather dilapidated while he was warded there. Don't the officials at the MOH have people putting in reports for that? Maybe they do... but 'unimportant' reports like this probably get pushed to some bottom of a pile since money is often channeled to grandiose projects.

If this is how things can get moving in Malaysia, then I think all of us should hope that the politicians 'suffer' more so that allocations can be given for repairs, upgrading works, (re)construction, etc, etc.

I thought the 'chain of command' is supposed to ensure that things are kept tip-top in any organization and country. But then again, this is Malaysia. Even in my area, there's been a drain-hole in the middle of the road that's been missing it's metal cover for months! And it has not been repaired. It's a good thing that no one fell into it during the flood cos it was covered by water!

The officer-in-charge of such things must be really sleeping on his job. Go round Alor Setar, and you'll find lots of potholes not filled up too. There was one time when the grass was not cut regularly and the reduction in the times the rubbish was collected as the contractors awarded the project by the Federal Government dragged their feet, so goes coffee shop talk.

I guess we should hope that another politician falls into the drain hole or his car suffers some extensive damage before it gets replaced or repaired!

A generator, a dinghy and a Toyota Hilux

These are the things which we'll need as 'flood equipment'. A generator so that we can generate some power to make our stay at home more bearable during the depressing nights surrounded by flood waters. We've all been softened by our good life that a little discomfort sent so many of my neighbours to Sungai Petani and Penang. One of my neighbours who went to stay in Park Avenue in Sungai Petani said the hotel looked like our neighbourhood as she met quite a few familiar faces there! LOL!

A water tank but after our last flood experience 5 years ago, we installed an extra one just for that purpose. So, this round we had plenty of water even though there was no power supply. Water and electricity supply are essentials for the pampered two-legged creatures today.

During this flood, one of our neighbours was kind enough to leave us their generator as they evacuated. Despite the loud noise from the generator, we were glad for the light and fan. It was a welcomed break from the silence and gloom.

A dinghy so that we can put our gal on it should we need to evacuate. What is thigh-deep for us is chest deep for her. Our main concern during floods has always been our children. Hence, we always evacuate them at the first sign of trouble and leave them with friends while we stay back. Other Half and I have been entertaining ideas like foldable kayaks to have as our flood project too. LOL! Would make a good rescue vehicle too!!

A Toyota Hilux cos it would probably also open up many of the 'inaccessible' roads to us. My bro has suggested charging units for our computers and phones. I wonder whether there are solar powered ones apart from the battery operated ones.

But nothing beats having good neighbours and friends in times like these. They are the ones who make everything bearable. During this crisis, our neighbours and friends came through for us. I had a place to leave my children safe and dry. My neighbour provided us with 'dry' transport in to check on our house and ferry things out. He managed to get a lorry as our transport. Each time he wanted to go in, he would call us to join them. It was an experience for us in itself. We 'rescued' dogs, picked up people on those trips too.

Neighbours and strangers strike up conversations with ease because all share something common. And also calls from family and friends. Conversations become a therapy of sorts. It takes your mind of the current problem and the impending possibilities. It enables you to get a bearing of sorts. It takes your mind off your own problem when you realize that there are others worse off than you. It also enables you to offer assistance. In helping others you actually empower yourself. It frees you from your little cocoon of worries. Many of us worry. I too. It gives you resolve to move on too.

We learned to watch out for each other.... and my heart is warmed. So, in conclusion, what's priceless; and that which made it bearable for many of us were the people. In the aftermath of the flood, most people I know talked about the way they've been blessed by their friends and neighbours; offers to park their vehicles, stay, etc, etc...

Lessons From The Flood

This is by far the worse flood in more than a decade (some say 3) Alor Setar. I think more than half the city experienced some form of flooding. In my own area, I think the deepest was around chest deep... and that's was just not too far from our place. I see the kampung folks walking past with 'water-line' at their chest level. I stopped some of them to 'sembang-sembang' a bit too. Many of them suffered tremendous losses!

Many people say the KTM double tracking project undertaken by MMC-GAMUDA (I think one of the royal families has a big stake in it) had a hand in making it one of the worst floods ever in Kedah. Of course, they denied it. At the height of the flood, if you were to go to the flyover near Tmn PKNK, you'd see the bund where the tracks lie separating the flooded area and the 'dry' area. But then again, the contractor said the flood was because of the heavier than normal downpour..... I think the flood would have happened regardless but the double tracking did make it worse, much.

What I observed... the lack of information from the authorities. Many people were caught by surprise how fast the water came up. I can't imagine the losses suffered by some. I've learned quite a bit from this experience. For one, instead of depending on information by word of mouth, I've turned to the Internet (am so glad for the Netbook and mobile connectivity) for information.

One is by watching the river levels myself. MADA has a telemetry system where the levels of the rivers are recorded by the hour. By watching it I learned when to expect more flood waters. Also, I noticed that the ups and downs have their own cycle.... tide times. So we learned to be more watchful at certain times. My bro kindly emailed me a site to get a more accurate time. It helped to alleviate many of our worries! The only problem is the information from the MADA site is not well organized at all. A map showing how all the rivers are connected would have been a great help. But there's Google Map to turn to. I'm thankful for my Geography lessons. 8)

I've also gained better understanding about the workings of the high and low tides. Now I've an app in my Ipod which provides me with accurate info about it. Both Other Half and I continue to monitor the rivers for our own peace of mind... Sg Bata in Jitra (that's the early warning), Sg Kepala Batas, Pantai Johor and Sungai Kedah at various points. The ups and downs give us an indication of what to expect. Flood waters creep in silently and quickly but if we take heed, though inevitable, we'd still be able to buy a little time to prepare.

At Teluk Wanjah, all it took was just a couple of hours for the roundabout to turn into a huge swimming pool accessible only to heavy vehicles. Even the town centre got inundated and the basement shops at City Plaza must have suffered huge losses cos flooding over there is unthinkable and they were unprepared. Flood water and its capillary-like reach can go far and quick...

Rumours take on a life of their own... there are lots of 'misinformation' from well-meaning people. An example,... As the flood water was receding suddenly my friend said her sister told her 6 dams will be releasing water soon! I got on the phone (thank God for that) to ask another friend to read the newspaper article. Turned out that they will open 6 gates of the Timah Tasoh Dam if the weather conditions worsen. Then when the power came back on, I read the news myself... turned out that particular segment was meant for the situation in Kangar! Also, every evening, people will be reminding each other that the Thai authorities would be releasing water in the night... thus they became the bad guys. LOL!

The paranoia and fear remained with us, after the flood water receded, word started to get around that SADA (the water company) would be shutting their Bukit Pinang water treatment plant and we'd be left with dry taps for 2-3 days. This coming after 3-6 days (depending on area) without power supply and 3-5 days without proper water supply. Info is available on the SADA website... most people don't think of checking it there. Everyone is very jittery now.

There are lots of lessons for us in this disaster. The authorities are basically quite unable to cope well with a disaster of this magnitude. Rescues were fraught with problems and prejudices. Professionalism was lacking from the authorities.... UMNO as usual use it for their political gains... One of my friends who was driving to Perlis saw this huge truck with Shahidan Kassim's photo perched on the engine and a banner stating his constituency... he was trying to gain some publicity from 'helping' the flood victims.... udang di sebalik batu. Only God knows what his niat(s) were. According to Chinese customs putting a photo such as this indicates a funeral procession. LOL!!!!

But the NGOs and some religious groups helped without prejudices. It was not uncommon to see churches and the Buddhist groups going around on their own giving aid regardless of affinity or race. Shame on many of our government rescue units who went on the basis of skin colour.

One Indian man called up for a boat for his ailing mother... the first question he was asked was what race he was. And then he was told they give preference to their own kind... such kind blatant prejudices, fed by our education system and also the poisoning of the minds at their religious institutions... Life apparently is divided into Malay, Chinese, Indian by such bigots. In one Chinese school which was turned into an evacuation centre, evacuees vandalized it by writing words like China Babi on the boards... I guess they didn't realize too that it takes another pig to identify another pig..... Humans identify humans, pigs identify pigs. I didn't know that pigs too are divided into different races and can identify each other. 8)

Such a sorry state that we've allowed ourselves to evolve into.... who is to blame???

Police Reports and Flood Victims

I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've stepped into a police station. Anyway, word was going around that Najib said the government is giving some cash aid to all flood victims. Many of us decided to go... after all, in all my years, I've hardly been given any special aid.

So, off we went, us three ladies. When we arrived at the One Stop Centre at the Police HQ, the place was swarming with flood victims.

We duly took our places in the line and waited... waited and waited. By the time we were done, 3 1/2 hours had passed. I cannot believe how inefficient how police is. Computers didn't help them speed up their jobs. In fact, it slowed them down markedly. Writing would have been faster!!!

Obviously there are tens of thousands of flood victims. A simple form for us to fill would have suffice. They can always check the area... flood waters are not illusive like criminals. They can always check. In my time there, I had ample time to observe the going ons.

For one, all the police banners with words like Mesra, Cekap... are crap! Though they are overworked, natural disasters like this don't happen everyday. There was one Sarjan who closed his counter at 4.30 p.m. citing computer failure. And over the period of the next few hours, I noticed that their computers kept hanging... holding up the reports. The same Sarjan also said in a rather arrogant voice that we could make reports in any police station. Another crap cos we had just come from the police station near our place and were told to go to the main one.

There was an old lady with a walking cane in the line when he closed his counter... where was his compassion??? Obviously he must be thinking that serving an old lady doesn't add up his pahala.

Oh ya! How many police officers do you think are needed to change a printer cartridge??? Two!!! And their computer system must be really archaic cos it kept hanging. I wonder who they contracted to write their software and supply the hardware. How can the police force's frontline equipment be so fragile and break down so easily at even a crisis like a flood. Would it then be able to cope if something bigger were to happen?

Most if not all us have been going days without proper sleep and food. Making us wait for such a long time to make one report just shows how inept the police is. Add that to the fact that the reports had to be typed and most of the officers typed painfully slow, the whole process certainly showed their ineptness. All police officers should go for typing classes!!

A report which can be done in 5 minutes needed 10-15 minutes with one finger typing!!! And the One Stop Centre felt more like an oven. The air-condition just couldn't cope. So, like its personnels, the equipment too floundered along! Nice banners they had, with smiling police officers as their poster boys and girls. But when it came to real service, they certainly didn't seem to match up to those smiling and seemingly cekap poster officers. Like many things Malaysian... indah khabar dari rupa. Looks good on the outside but no substance!

And the way the lines of crowds were organized. There were no officers to direct the people. They had one row for those above 60 years old, another row for those above 70 years old and one more for those not in the said categories. Guess who got to sit down while waiting????

The last group!!! No brainer and certainly not prihatin. So while we sat, the aged hobbled and hung on to their canes, standing on their weary legs.

The police got their pay raise quite recently... I am beginning to think that they don't quite deserve it, seeing the way they got the reports done. Anyway, all throughout the flood, I didn't really see any police... I heard the sirens of their cars, though. Their presence weren't really felt.

Sitting there and watching the police officers at work and seeing some unpleasant, possibly race-related actions make Najib's 1Malaysia sound hollow and fake! Add that to the racist actions of the rescue workers during the flood who have been selective in the distribution of aid like food and water and also rescue efforts... I'd say UMNO has succeeded in dividing Malaysians into Melayu, China, India and Lain-Lain. 1Malaysia is only a political gimmick! We are more divided than before; and the most insidious thing is our authorities can no longer be depended to be fair and compassionate in the truest sense. Everything is tainted... sad thing indeed for Malaysia.

Kota Setar Flood 2010

This is one flood that's going to be remembered for some time. The city is slowly turning into a sea of water. 5 years ago, our place was one of the few places which were hit. The rest of the city was so normal back then, unlike this round.

We've been literally running away from the water. Water level rose so quickly in such a short time. I tried to cycle back to my house yesterday but turned back after I fell. Water was already above thigh deep with rather strong currents. Immediately went to take my jab and down some antibiotics. The flood is like a cesspool... real one.

In times like this, you can watch, experience and learn many things. You realize who your friends are, and those who who will go the extra mile for you even though they themselves are in the same predicament. I get to talk to neighbours whom I never or seldom talk to.

And today, my 'refugee' centre has also seen rising water. It's still rising and we do not know when it will stop. It's been a tiring few days. Hoping to see an end to this darurat.

More to come...

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.

Flood Season...

I was on my way to school this morning and I noticed there were unusually many cars parked on the shoulder of the road.... the flood is back! In most of the villages, the water has been rising since yesterday.

Back in the 2005, we didn't have rain but the water came rushing down from the north. This time, we've been having rain and further up north, it's also pouring. The water is slowly moving southwards and to the coastal areas.

Arrived at school, there're less students. It's exam season now. Hopefully, this will be a reminder not to hold exams this late in the year. These days, they want to push as much 'academic' time as possible into the school year; which I think takes the fun out of school.

Some of my colleagues' houses have also been flooded, some up to knee deep. Some have already moved out. The cleaning will be massive. Flood waters always bring in the mud and if you don't clean them as the water recedes, it's going to be horrendous cleaning them.

Flood also means a possibility of no power supply and water supply as sub-stations and pump houses get inundated. We had to do without power for a few days back in 2005. Most of my neighbours moved out till the water receded! It's going to be a few days of anxious waiting for many.

But this time around, with FB we get better eye-witness report too of the flood situation in certain places! But this wonder of technology will only be available only if there is power supply. Little towns like Changlun literally came alive with traffic crawl as stretches of the highway got flooded.

Update 9.58 p.m.

Yup! Water level is going up in my area. I can already see cars from the village parked near my house. Took a drive with my neighbour in the evening, and the water is rising fast. Called a few friends.... in Jitra, some buildings are 5-6 feet under water. Jitra was difficult to access today as all its major roads were under water. Going by the last experience, it takes about 2 days for the water there to get here. And tonight's the beginning of what I hope is less flooding than the last round's.