Garbage, Garbage Everywhere... After The Alor Setar Flood 2010

Some people say privatization is actually piratization. LOL! Privatization is supposed to mean better perks for the workers and better service for the people. Well, the former is probably very true but can't say about the latter.

Been a fortnight since the flood. And everywhere the garbage piles stand as reminders of the losses left behind by the waters. The company which has the contract to collect the rubbish don't seem to be coping well in the clearing up. A report said that rubbish went from 1100 tons to 2000 tons daily. I think the figure is more than that. Take a drive in any area that was affected by flood... this time it includes most of Kota Setar... and you'll know what I mean. That's just the flood garbage. Daily garbage 'spewed' out by households remains uncollected for more than a week already!

The rubbish collection in Alor Setar is under Environment Idaman Sdn Bhd, a joint venture between Metacorp and UEM. If we explore the labyrinths of ownership to these 2 companies we'll probably find that they are well connected to certain key people. Anyway, according to a newsletter from Kualiti Alam, rubbish woes were solved when they took over the rubbish collection in SP. I can't say I know much but what I do know is in Alor Setar, the frequency of rubbish collection went down to around once every 6 days in my area, before the flood. Before Idaman took over, it used to be more frequent; once every 2 to 3 days. I seldom find piles of rubbish on the roads. These days, it's common to see rubbish piling up and flies around it; and the smell!!!

The company has also taken to setting up 'strategic' locations for their big bins; kinda like a central collection thing. I guess they were trying to condition people to throw their rubbish at such bins. Well, guess what? These locations became dumping grounds after the flood. And no matter how fast they cleared it, a new pile would appear. Apparently, they've been so successful in conditioning people to think those locations as rubbish dump that people just brought all their spoilt furniture old electrical stuff to dump there. I am thankful that my house is not opposite or near those rubbish dumps. It'd be an added stress just to be greeted by rubbish and be reminded by its stench.

I think they do that because they don't have enough trucks. They probably cut down on the number of trucks (which also means less workers) to increase their profits. Just like SADA (the water company), when the pump houses failed, they did not have enough water trucks or a system to deliver water everywhere. They even failed to ensure water supply to essential services like the hospitals. Both the General Hospitals and 3 private hospitals had to cease operations. Can you imagine, if you were really sick during the flood, you'd have no hospital to rely on? And SADA has not even been privatized it. It has only gone onto Step 1 of privatization; which is corporatization!

Anyway, someone big must have made some noises for I saw some private lorries and backhoe loaders in my residential area. Within 2 days they cleared most of the hills of rubbish!!! Now perhaps that's real privatization!!! LOL!! Anyway, these were just my observations... waiting to see whether the hills of rubbish would appear again at the same sites.

The storm drains were quite effective in draining the water when the flood water was still manageable. However, take a walk along these drains in Alor Setar and you'll find many parts of the storm drain filled with soil (with grass growing on it some more) and rubbish. What have the maintenance people been doing? Don't they dredge the drains or at least make sure the excess soil or rubbish is cleared from them??? Do we need disasters to remind us??? Anyway, we are garbage generators.... no wonder Mother Earth is so polluted.

For now, the 2 hills of rubbish near my place have been cleared. I hope they stay that way but Idaman has only collected rubbish once from our houses since the flood. And that's been like almost 2 weeks already.

Going Out to Jitra After the Flood

I was half-hearted about going cos I was thinking of sprucing up my house these next few days. And I was still feeling tired from so many things... flood, cleaning up and work. But because they adjusted the visitation time so that I could finish cooking my lunch, I went for this little outing with my church friends to distribute some food aid.

This was at Jitra, at one of the 'kongsi(s)' just in the outskirt of Jitra town. We went out to distribute some aid to those affected by the flood. This was our first stop. Kim's sister was the one who brought our attention to this place. She liaised us with a young Indian Pastor who was familiar with the areas we were to go. This is also an area where the foreign workers congregate. You find Indonesians, Bangladeshis, Vietnamese and Myanmarese (I think) apart from our own locals. This particular place was around 1 1/2 - 2 feet of water from the water mark that I saw on the wall.

Our next stop was a house in Kg Giam, where I think the first victim of the flood, a 64-year old German woman was swept away by the strong currents. A young man we talked to told us the water went above the rooftop of this house. Everywhere we could still see the waterline on the tree leaves. At such a house, you don't get to see waterlines cos the whole house is submerged. He also told us that the currents were very fast and strong during the flood and one would be easily swept away. You just flee with whatever you can because you don't have much time to do anything else.

Another house that was completely submerged. Everything looked so normal when we were there. Yet, the people here had just gone through a terrible time. Can you imagine, everything you own being totally swallowed up by the rising waters? I saw some mattresses being dried in the sun. In the towns, we throw away our flood mattresses. Many of these people don't have that sort of extra cash to buy a new mattress. As a church, we send funds to the villages in Cambodia to help them build schools and support their teachers. We are part of medical teams to countries like Vietnam. Yet, I feel we've missed something here; our own people. Perhaps there is less glamour working among local people.... I wouldn't know.

This was another house that was flooded. Hidden behind the bushes, it's difficult to spot the house if you don't look for it carefully. At the height of the flood, you can't even see the rooftop! And again, the currents here were fast because it's near the Jitra Irrigation Canal. The mother of the lady of the house had just undergone an operation and could not walk much. The Pastor said a prayer for her before we left. And the lady, herself had just had a baby. She was only 2 weeks post delivery when she had to clean the whole house all by herself. Most of us would still be pampered at 2 weeks post delivery. Her kids were so happy to see us.

These are folks with less who lost more. We throw away our old TVs in working condition and don't think much about it. In one of the houses, I saw a small old diode TV sitting on the table. We throw away so many of our usable things. These people find it hard to afford those things. Our kids eat out at KFC, MacDonald's, Pizza Hut at whims. For these kids, I think it would be a grand treat to be able to eat at those places. And these folks are in our midst.... not just found in some other countries which we seem to be sending our mission teams. We spend so much of our resources and manpower there.... those which can be utilized here too. Perhaps it's a time to evaluate ourselves.

It's been a while since I went to places like this. I get too insulated by my comfortable life that I often forget what is out there. I wonder too if they get enough aid. I get the impression that aid these days is filtered by race first too, just like the recruitment of the civil servants. Cos when the head begins to rot, it'll spread downwards. And we, the people are the parts below.

So did I regret going? Nah! Sometimes everyone of us needs a little push to move. I am glad to be reminded of the blessings that come my way and that each of us can do a little to make our world a better place.

To Apply for Flood Aid

When politicians talk about aid in the face of any disaster, they make it sound like assistance is just a call away. In reality, it's difficult to get it.

Collection of data is just not well organized. For example, if a housing estate is flooded, counters should be set up in that particular housing estate for a day or two for everyone to register. It makes vetting easier too. But nah! We've been given the run around chasing this illusive flood aid that the gahmen says the qualified flood victims will be given. It feels like they are hoping that not everyone applies for it.

In the early days after the water receded, we were told that we had to make a police report about flood affecting our premises. As my own experience has shown, police efficiency ranks really low. When you make a police report, you are actually traumatized twice! One by the reason to make the report and the other by the act of making the report itself!

Then a day later, word was that we had to register ourselves with our JKKK (Jawatankuasa Kemajuan dan Keselamatan Kampung). Now how in the world are we to know who our Penghulu is? So, in our traumatized conditions, we had to trudge to wherever we were told the Penghulu would be waiting. And so, we gave our names so that they can pass us the necessary forms to fill in. I shall wait to see whether they contact me to fill in the forms. I'm more inclined to think that it was an exercise of futility.

And finally, a colleague of mine was kind enough to pass me the actual form. There is a closing date on the form to be submitted in - 28th Nov, 2010. So, we're going to fill in the forms and pass it to the Minister for Housing and Local Government. Hopefully something moves since his own house was flooded. I've been seeing repair works being carried out to his house the last few days.

As usual, the non Government organizations are quicker in disbursing aid. Immediately after the water receded, one of the most prominent presence was by the Buddhist Tzu chi Merits Society Malaysia. At the height of the flood, their members could be seen bringing in food and water bottles for flood victims who stayed back in their houses. They worked tirelessly and helped regardless of race.

Even some of my Malay friends speak very well of them; of how they would go from house to house everywhere distributing food parcels, water and even blankets. Right after the water receded, they started coming around my area with food parcel and some cash aid. Most if not all my neighbours turned down their offer of aid.

And this act was also reciprocated by the PAS' Unit Banjir as I saw them making an effort to go to Taman Lum Sum to help with the clearing up. Perhaps this is the first step towards a better race relationship... I hope so.

As for the BN politicians... I guess they should learn to help without using that as an opportunity for publicity. Instead of hanging big pictures and flying big flags, a small identification mark would have suffice. People will know who you are and what you stand after all ends. The BN politicians still don't seem to quite understand that. For them everything is an opportunity for publicity.

As for the rest of the government agencies??? I've more bad experiences with them than good ones, more unpleasant stories than pleasant ones.... I am not saying they didn't do any good. There are still many good civil servants. But... rescue services, the police... they are supposed to answer to their oaths of duties.

Anyway, this experience have taught me that the authorities are not very organized. My police experience during non-bencana (disaster) times also shows them to be sluggish. Better perks have not translated into better service. And during disaster times, it's just as sluggish if not more.

So, another tale and thoughts to share...

As life returns to before...

Took some pics and vids during the flood and I've just quickly put some together... to remember this by in the years to come.

People are still picking up from where they left. Many things about the flood will continue to be coffee shop talk in the weeks, months and years to come. The authorities failed us and were caught with their pants down. It showed the glaring inadequacies of our system to cope with a disaster like this. Early warning systems did not work because everyone thought it would not be bad. Guess people no longer subscribe to this adage, "better safe than sorry".

This is an aerial view of Titi Gajah, taken by my friend's brother who flew in a helicopter to send food supplies to her cos she was running low and her attempts to flag down help came to naught. It's got to be one of the more spectacular delivery of foodstuff during the flood. LOL!

The concerned bro and his assistant pilot.

The planners for the double tracking project did not foresee the artificially man-made bund turning a greater part of Alor Setar into Venice-like. Yesterday, my day helper called me to say that water was rising again at the housing estate next to ours. I took a drive there and informed my neighbour who did the same. It seemed the GAMUDA-MMC contractor broke the bund to release the water from the other side where villages were still flooded. Water came rushing back into those houses which had just been cleaned and also the kampung houses. So much for no-brainer!

Hospitals shut down because of power failures and water cut. Our newly completed supposedly state-of-the-art Sultanah Bahiyah General Hospital had to be evacuated... on hindsight it seemed like a bad decision. The hospital was built with no planning to cope for a crisis like this. Water trucks which were supposed to send water to keep the hospital running failed to deliver. Patients had to be evacuated to as far as Taiping. District hospitals could not refer critically ill patients due to the closure of roads, etc... there must have been untold deaths; unnecessary deaths due to bad decision and a let down by bad decisions.

We had at least a day to prepare for the rising waters... 2010 is a repeat of 2005, only worse. The Civil Defence and Armed Forces could have been mobilized to cordoned of areas with sandbags. They could have gone around giving warnings to the kampung and city dwellers. Yet none of this took place. They sat in their chairs like the proverbial ostrich, hoping that the problem would go away.

We had meteorological reports which reported a tropical depression. The rains came unabated and the water level at the Timah Tasoh Dam rose above danger level. Couldn't the engineers have released some water earlier to reduce the capacity?

The water treatment plant had to be shut down. I am sure the engineers could have predicted that. Again no warning for the people to store water.... the silence from all is very deafening; ineptness everywhere.

In Jitra there were reports of looting. In Alor Setar, we hardly saw any police. Today, the traffic light at the old hospital broke down. Guess what the traffic police did? They cordoned of the left and right roads and made it a straight flow traffic, creating a traffic jam that moved in a snarl. Why couldn't they put a traffic police to direct the traffic? Makes it pointless to have traffic police. Looks like they are there to parade themselves on their big bikes for show.

So I wonder... could be that after years of brain drain and appointments not by merits but by race, we've caused our own descent into this abyss of our own making. Cos the impression that seems to be given is one of helplessness, couldn't care less and ignorance!

Flood and Cleaning Up

There are so many things memorable this flood. When the water rises, we flee, especially if your house is single-storey cos there is not a single dry spot in your house! A state of panic tends to set in. And once the water level stabilizes, your hopes rise cos you know the flood will recede soon. And you begin to make plans to clean up...

This time, my church members organized themselves into groups, armed with pressure pumps, wiper and push brooms.... and food. Kudos to the Social Concerns Committee. As soon as the water receded, groups would move in to help with the clean up and also the lifting down of the furniture from whatever higher level. Cleaning up was a massive task as the mud would be everywhere. And if you leave it to dry, you'd need more effort in the clean-up process. And while the groups worked, there'd be those who prepared food. Cold drinks would make their appearance as we were in the midst of working. People just stepped in once someone did the organization. Truly God sent!

KL gave me a call to go over with my pressure pump on Monday morning. I had gotten up very early to clean my porch as I knew that a busy day awaited me. With my boy's help we cleaned up our porch in 40 minutes!

When I arrived, the stench and sight that greeted me was enough to bowl me over. Sometimes, the shock is just so great that you don't know where to start. But start we did.

I phoned LF and asked for reinforcement. Both she and her other half came with another pump. Soon other friends came and we began to clean the house section by section. It was a lot of hard work but 4 hours later, the house was clean again.

Doors get warped after being soaked in the water. There are lots of repairs which need to be done. There was one door which totally refused to budge even after we hammered it. And furniture made from chipboards would literally disintegrate in your hands when lifted up. Only solid wood would withstand the soaking, hence, everywhere now, you see piles and piles of damaged furniture by the roadside. The damage is extensive!

Then Ah Ho phoned me and told me I was needed at another friend's place. As there were already enough reinforcements and only a small section left, off I went. When I got there, the kitchen had been done but the pump that had been working there was on its last legs. Another church member also came with his pump at around the same time I arrived; and dividing up the work into sections, we were soon done too. We then met up at Esther's place to clean up her kitchen and porch. When I got there, lunch was on the table! We tucked in as we were all famished. Fried beehoon had never tasted that good! 8) The other group had also just finished at KL's house and were there as well.

And it was time to move again. I went to 3 more houses that day. In each house, we would divide our work and clean our areas. With everyone pitching in, work got done very quickly. Many hands indeed make light work.

This is my second major flood in 5 years, and this is far worse than the previous. I know foremost in everyone's mind in the aftermath is the cleaning up. It's daunting! The mud and stains would mean hours of scrubbing, what more caked ones! But very often, because the water gets to so many things, you are left with a feeling of despair. The first thing that can bring back that sense of normalcy is a clean house. Else, everywhere you turn, you are reminded of that despair. So it's very heartwarming that so many offered their help, including people like LF and Andy whose house was flooded too. They went beyond their own troubles too...

I dropped by KL's house yesterday night! The house was spotless... it was a total makeover! Except for a few hidden corners in cupboards and shelves still with some dried mud... they had replaced some of the 'melted' furniture and everything looked so normal again. I am sure it's the same in all the other houses too. Life is slowly moving back to the way it was before the flood....

I did 2 more houses the day after and another today; the porches... I've never cleaned so many houses in such a short time. Every single joint ached the day after! LOL! It was good that so many made the effort to bring that normalcy back into our lives. And it was also a good time to bond... sometimes it's just nice to know that there're people there for us. Sometimes it takes a calamity to bring people together too....

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.