RESIDENTS of Taman Sri Muda in Shah Alam have yet to get back on their feet eight months after their homes were wrecked by massive floods.

They told The Malaysian Insight life was “still far” from returning to normal.

They said work to restore their homes was only half finished, adding that they were struggling financially.

While they thanked the civil society groups and volunteers for their support, they said the  government aid was insufficient.

Ambulance driver Mohd Anas, 51, was hoping his home would be fully repaired by the end of the year.

“I’m grateful for the help provided by NGOs and my friends who donated a lot of things but I’m very disappointed in the government.

“They (government) barely provided anything. The RM2,000 they gave was insufficient as it cost RM6,000 to repair my car alone,” he said.

He had expected his elected representatives to visit more often.

“The first two months after the flood, they came by every day but now we don’t see them at all and maybe it is because the issue is no longer viral.

“The government was responsible for everything that happened to us but they seem to be very quiet now. I don’t even see a channel available for us to reach out to them,” he said.

Unusually heavy rainfall before and over the weekend of December 17-18 caused massive flooding in Selangor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Perak and Pahang.

The inundations killed 54 people and displaced more than 70,000 others. Selangor, especially in the Taman Sri Muda and the surrounding Shah Alam areas, was one of the worst-hit states.

Anas said he barely has any savings left thanks to repairs and inflation.

“I’m spending 30% of my monthly salary to gradually repair the house. At the end of the month I’m only left with a few hundred ringgit,” said Anas.

Anas said heavy rain in the past few days had made him anxious.

“Whenever there is heavy rainfall we start moving our things upstairs.

“If I had enough money. I would definitely move out but my current financial situation prevents me from doing that,” said Anas who lost RM15,000 in damage to his property during the floods.

Guitarist David Arokiasamy, 68, said he was extremely thankful for the furniture donations.

“However my walls are still not painted and there are still a lot of things to be done

“The assistance provided from the government disappeared quickly because it wasn’t much,” said David.

David said he is also worried whenever it rains but he has to move past the fear.

“I can’t always be thinking about floods that have happened or are going to happen because I have to make a living,” said David, who has lost many students after the floods because he does not have a car now to to travel for guitar lessons.

David said the government cannot be relied on for help.

Mun Yi, 52, said she does not know when her home would be fixed.

“The water was seven feet high in my house, so all the furniture on the ground floor was damaged.

“My husband is retired and I work as a cleaner so we don’t have much money for repairs.”

More than half of the money given by the government was spent on electrical wiring work.

“I am hoping for some NGO to provide the help I need,” she said.

She feared another round of floods would destroy her.

“If another major flood happens, I will not have any money to start all over again.

“So whenever it rains, we take all our valuables and move them upstairs into our bedroom,” she said.

After the floods, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced a RM100 million fund to repair homes and infrastructure, with more funding to follow if necessary.

The scheme launched on January 7.

Each affected household RM1,000 and a RM500 voucher to purchase electrical appliances that were damaged by the floods.

The government also agreed to a further cash handout of RM2,500 for each household to buy essential goods.

The flood victim were offered free car towing and repair services by Proton and Perodua, in addition to a 50% discount on spare vehicle parts. – July 29, 2022.