SINGLE mother Che Gayah went back to her house yesterday for the first time in five days after last weekend’s devastating floods in Penang to soaked mattresses, a broken bed frame, and mud-stained clothes, books and furniture.

But, the worst for her was the zinc roof, half of which had been blown away in a storm that struck the state on Saturday and left large parts of the mainland flooded.

Some areas, especially in the north bordering Kedah, were still flooded yesterday.

“It won’t be cheap. I don’t care about furniture or electrical appliances. How am I going to live with only half a roof over my head?” said the 59-year-old when met at her home in Kampung Petani, Merbau Kudung, Permatang Pauh, on mainland Penang.

She was in the midst of watching members of PAS’ Unit Amal, or volunteer corp, who were helping to clean her house, as well as others in the village.

She had just returned from the community hall in Merbau Kudung that was turned into an evacuation centre.

“The PAS members helped me remove items ruined in the floods. The cupboards, sofa, books, clothes and mattresses are all stained with mud.

“Everything was soaked for five days. Most of my things are no longer usable. The floods ruined almost everything.”

Her refrigerator and washing machine were also submerged in floodwaters, but she said she would let them dry out and try to switch them on later in the hopes that they still worked.

Food right now is not a problem as there has been enough to eat, thanks to donations.

Che Gayah’s biggest concern is how to fix her roof with no money in hand.

She earns about RM450 a month from babysitting three toddlers.

With the help of a free meal programme at her son’s school, she said, her meagre income was just enough to cover expenses for the both of them.

Given the state of their home, her 17-year-old son, who is sitting the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination, is staying at a friend’s house until the exam is over.

“I don’t have the money. I hope some kind soul will help me fix my roof,” said Che Gayah, whose husband died 10 years ago.

Factory worker Sartini Saridan, who lives a few doors away from Che Gayah, is also lamenting the state of her furniture.

“Three mattresses ruined, as well as the furniture, washing machine and rubber mats. Not much, but still giving me a headache,” said the 32-year-old, who lives with her husband and his elderly parents.

As she made a mental list of items that need replacing, she said she hoped the state government would provide some aid.

“Food is not a concern. Clothes, we can make do. Mattresses, I have to buy, and this is a headache because we need three of them.

“We have to buy a new cupboard and might have to replace the door as the wooden frame of the door is ruined. If the state government can come up with some aid for house repairs, that would help.”

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng yesterday announced a RM100 million allocation by the state to help citizens deal with the flood aftermath.

This would include a one-off payment of RM500 for every affected household, as well as a waiver of the state’s water conservation charge in water bills for two months.

Lim said the disaster affected some 100,000 households and caused the evacuation of 12,559 people.

In Taman Free School, Sundaram Arjunan, 68, was washing her collection of sarees when met yesterday.

She had been washing sarees non-stop over the past five days since the floods, and was only halfway through.

She estimated that her family would have to spend RM10,000 to replace mattresses, cupboards and electrical appliances.

Retiree Chin Liew Fu, who lives in the same housing estate, was just glad that his wedding photo album had survived the floods.

“Money can’t buy back this type of memory and photographs. My washing machine is ruined, but I can always buy a new one, and I did,” said the 66-year-old, who lives with his wife, a retired kindergarten teacher.

When the storm struck on Saturday and floodwaters began rising quickly, Chin told his wife to leave their home and go to a neighbour’s place on higher ground.

He wanted to stay behind to guard their flooded house.

“I wanted to stay to watch over our things, but I gave up when the water reached five feet. My wife was also constantly calling me using our neighbour’s phone,” Chin said.

He said he felt deeply thankful to their neighbour, Dr Elizabeth Anthony, and her husband, whose house is located on slightly higher ground.

That night, the couple took in 21 of their neighbours, including Chin and his wife.

“No one wants to be in that situation. My home is safer. They needed shelter, and where else could they have gone at that hour? Half of them were elderly folk,” said Dr Anthony.

The group of neighbours spent the night and returned to their respective homes the next morning to begin cleaning their houses.

Despite her house being on higher ground, the ground floor of Dr Anthony’s home was still flooded.

“It was not as bad as others. I’m glad I was able to help. The neighbours were safe and stayed on the top floor,” she said. – November 10, 2017.