Shock, dismay and anger – an account of the Klang Valley floods

 

My daughter’s call came as a shock. “Floodwaters are entering the house,” she cried.

But that was impossible. We have been living in Taman Buana Perdana for more than 20 years now – and there has never been a case of flooding.

Was it the construction going on nearby? Or is the Klang River, some 1 km behind the house, overflowing?

Those were the questions in my mind as I raced through the traffic.

I drove into Sri Manja, the fastest way to the house. Fire trucks and cop cars, blue lights flashing, stood in the way. And I was still 2km from home.

A U-turn and I drove through the Pantai Expressway to get home via Taman Medan. Again, there were blockades.

The house, it seems, was surrounded by floodwaters. I parked near a temple and decided to walk. Rolled up my pants and put my shoes in a plastic bag and started trudging.

The pebbles bit my bare foot. It was almost midnight but there were lots of people on the road.

Carrying bags on their heads, escorting the infirm, people were getting out of there, for fear the floodwaters would rise overnight.

It was exhausting walking through the almost waist-deep waters (and I stand at 6ft 2in).

When I reached home, my heart sank. Everything was under one foot of water.

The sofa, the almost brand-new refrigerator and the washing machine. My maid and I gathered some bricks and propped up the furniture. Then, we could only wait.

Dinner was cold. But I was hot, fuming.

This is not Kelantan during the monsoon. This is the city of Petaling Jaya. How can this happen? It’s unacceptable.

The days of laughing at PAS and it’s flood prone states are over.

The state government has to stop with the excuses. Working hard, as Khalid Samad said, is not good enough.

Effective measures are needed.

The cost of yesterday’s floods are going to be astronomical – the furniture that’s been destroyed, the vehicles that need to be repaired, even the lives that have been lost.

It wasn’t just the heavy rain – it was also the poor infrastructure, the over-building (there are at least three construction sites near my house) that has been approved and the lousy drainage.

They all played a part.

Now, it’s time for the state to do its part. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.