THOUSANDS of flood victims in Penang are trying to rebuild their lives but any meagre savings they may have are not enough for costly repairs and acquisition of essential items.

Many of them are among the 29% of Malaysians who would have less than RM500 in their wallet in an emergency, a condition caused by the rising cost of living and low salaries.

They are waiting for the one-off RM700 relief aid from the Penang state government, which is expected on December 16 and until then, they are sifting through the mud and the rubble to salvage the items that they can use.

A Merdeka Center survey this month of 1,203 registered voters, found that 29% of Malaysians would not have RM500 in an emergency while 15% skipped meals to make ends meet.

Several of the victims The Malaysian Insight spoke to yesterday said the RM700 aid from the state government is hardly enough to help rebuild their lives after the flood earlier this month damaged or destroyed furniture, electrical items and even vehicles.

Keeping and tossing out

“What we can still use, we will keep. I have washed and put out my sofa to dry for a few days. We’ll see if we can still use it,” Taman Sri Rambai resident, identified only as Saw, told The Malaysian Insight.

The front porch of her single-storey home is filled with items  that were soaked in the floodwater that rose over four feet in the early hours of November 5.

Saw’s family lost most of their furniture as they were made of wood, kitchen essentials, the refrigerator, electric stove and washing machine.

With two cars and motorcycles to repair as well, she said she and her husband were looking at losses and damage worth thousands of ringgit.

“We don’t have much cash to fix everything and buy replacements in one go. Even now, we don’t know how much the vehicle repairs will cost. We are not talking about a few hundred ringgit. 

“It will cost us thousands of ringgit, money we don’t have. Furthermore, things are so expensive these days,” the 34-year-old housewife said.

Slow recovery

Saw said her family have not bought anything yet as they are scouting around items which can be bought through instalments, those with zero interest rates.

“If we can’t find any deals like that, then we will have to take things slowly. We will only spend on what we need urgently now, like fixing the fridge and the cars,” she said.

The state which estimated 100,000 households to be affected by the disaster, is paying each household and business a RM700 one-off relief aid on December 16 if their applications are approved.

Pulau Tikus assemblyman Yap Soo Huey, who is in charged of the relief aid applications, announced that some 24,000 households had submitted their forms as of noon yesterday.

The highest number of applications – 3,784 – came from the Padang Lalang state constituency in Bukit Mertajam, one of the areas worst hit by the storm that brought record rainfall of 372mm.  Taman Sri Rambai is located here.

Almost three weeks after the disaster, rubbish made up of discarded furniture is still piling up on the roads in front of houses, as families continue to throw out what is unsalvageable.

Another housewife on Lorong Binjal 9, who gave her surname Teh, also has things soaked in the flood lying everywhere in her house compound.

She lives with her daughter, whom she said was not earning much as an office worker, and they could not afford to buy everything new to replace the damaged items.

“So far we only bought new clothes because our old ones were completely ruined,” the woman in her 60s said.

They have not decided what to do with the damaged doors, furniture, and kitchen appliances. 

“How are we to deal with all this damage at once?  What can we do?” she said.

State survey needed

Consumer groups said the authorities could help these victims by conducting a study on how many families were affected and how much they had lost in the floods.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations senior vice-president K. Koris Atan said the state should get this survey done and announce the findings, including an estimation of how much is needed to assist the victims.

“The exercise might take time but it can be done. After all, the state had been willing to spend millions on studies for mega projects,” Koris told The Malaysian Insight.

He said by using the data collected, the state could discuss with the industries for special deals to help the flood victims out when they buy furniture and other necessities.

“The affected households can be issued letters by the state to verify they were victims of the disaster when they make their purchases,” he said.

Subsidised prices for flood victims

Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) education officer N.V. Subbarow also suggested the authorities interview victims to find out what exactly they need and help them get the basic items for their homes.

He said most of the donations have come in the form of food stuff but some families were ill-equipped to cook the food themselves, having no stoves or gas cylinders.

“I think the authorities need to conduct interviews with the affected households to find out what are their basic and urgent needs,” he said.

Subbarrow said some families might need help to get school items and uniforms for their children before the new school term starts in January, while some housewives who sew for extra income might need sewing machines.

“It is a waste to give people things they don’t really need. Perhaps the JKKK (village development and security committees) can be roped in to help collect the information.

“Then the authorities can talk to suppliers and distributors to see what can be done. Perhaps flood victims can get what they need at reduced or subsidised prices,” he said. – November 25, 2017.