A WOMAN from Johor Baru said she heaved a sigh of relief when her parents and brother, caught up in the floods in Chaah, Segamat, were rescued after 12 hours.

Kalai Arasi, 29, said she was contacted by her brother D. Yogesvaran, 32, at 3am yesterday to tell her that his house had been inundated by 1m deep water.

Kalai, who lives in Johor Baru, was concerned about her parents – K. Dhevaseelan, 65, and S. Ramai, 62 – living with her brother. The couple also suffer from hypertension.

“When the water started to enter the house, my brother saved important items and documents, while my mother and father waited on the wall outside the house hoping that someone would rescue them.

“They started contacting anyone, including the security forces,” she said.

Kalai said she began to worry and called her brother almost every hour to find out how their parents were doing.

She also contacted friends at Bernama, who then relayed her family’s location to rescuers.

She said the three of them were drenched, and rescued by firemen and soldiers by boat at 5.30pm.

“After my brother said they had been taken to SMK Seri Bali temporary evacuation centre, I felt relieved and found my appetite.

“By the time the rescuers came, my father had almost fainted due to the cold and hunger, but I am grateful they were saved before nightfall,” she said.

Segamat is currently the most flood-affected district in Johor with at least 7,000 people in evacuation shelters. – Bernama, March 2, 2023.