AS soon as Azim Afif received word of the urgent need for flood relief volunteers, the young man from Kulim, Kedah, immediately packed up some basic supplies, hopped into his four-wheel drive vehicle and headed straight to Penang.

Volunteering for relief efforts is not something new for Azim, who doesn’t discriminate when it comes to lending a helping hand.

“Just like the floods here, I found out about it from WhatsApp and immediately came,” he said at the district and land office in Seberang Perai, which also serves as a temporary evacuation centre for flood victims in the Bukit Mertajam parliamentary constituency.

Azim said his experience of once being a victim of an earthquake in Nepal three years ago had opened his eyes to how the public can play an important role in responding to the call for volunteers in the aftermath of natural disasters.

“Because I was once in that situation, when we are victims of natural disasters, it’s so difficult to get help,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

“So, I understand the difficulties they face.” 

Like Azim, Ridzwan is also an independent volunteer and, along with his pickup truck, a regular at post-disaster relief centres.

“We’re not under any non-governmental organisation, but we have WhatsApp groups. So, from there, we get information if anybody needs help,” he said.

Ridzuan says he provides logistical support, such as transporting victims and sending supplies to areas which are not accessible by normal vehicles.

A cry for help

Unusually heavy rainfall yesterday flooded most parts of Penang, with Bukit Mertajam being the worst-hit area.

Bukit Mertajam member of parliament Steven Sim, who went down to the ground to join rescue agencies in moving residents to temporary evacuation centres, soon realised more help was needed.

“I realised that something was not right, and I felt that this was not a regular flood, and that we really needed more help,” he said.

“So, early in the morning, I sent out an emergency message appealing for volunteers via WhatsApp,” Sim told The Malaysian Insight.

He said not long after the appeal was sent out, he received a flurry of calls from people keen to help.

“I was very moved, and very thankful for all the responses that I got. Until now, we have managed to mobilise around 100 four-wheel-drive vehicles and a few lorries to store food.”

He said the Penang floods have opened his eyes to how Malaysians, regardless of race or religion or political inclination, can unite in the face of tragedy.

“I saw with my own eyes how a Malay man pushed a wheelbarrow with a Chinese man in it, just as he would his own father.

“When I saw that, I was very moved. Malaysians, regardless of whether they are Malay, Chinese or Indian, will come forward to extend help, and because of that I am touched.”

He said that agencies and volunteers are now focused on transporting trapped victims from their homes, adding that “the challenge and concern now is that there are many more who are trapped”.

“I think that only 10% of victims are in evacuation centres.”

The speed at which the floodwaters rose shocked Ramlah Mahmood, who was preparing a “tahlil” for her late mother.

“At that time, the house was full of people as we invited relatives and neighbours,” said the 65-year-old.

The floodwaters rose so rapidly that she was unable to save any of the food or belongings.

“It was all gone, all the food, all our belongings. The water rose so fast, in just 10 minutes it reached our knees, and then it slowly receded.

“But about 11pm, the water rose again until our chest. Thankfully, we live in a double-storey house, so we were lucky,” she said.

Rahimah said her family were rescued the next morning, and were brought to an evacuation centre that housed 82 other families from Bukit Mertajam.

Ang Siew Wee, 40, said she panicked when floodwaters started rising rapidly, and she was stuck in her home with her wheelchair-bound husband and her young child.

“At that time, I was thinking about how to save my husband, as he cannot walk and is wheelchair bound.

“My child was also crying at that time, so I was really in a state of panic. I had to get everything sorted out and the water was rising so quickly.”

Ang said water started gushing into her home at 9pm, and in two hours, the water had reached chest level.

She was rescued by a Rela team about 2am.

“I couldn’t save anything, my child’s books, passports, documents are all gone.

 “We couldn’t even pack them all in the car and run because even that was flooded in.” – November 6, 2017.