Unprecedented flash floods have wreaked havoc in the Felda Kerteh cluster in Ketengah Jaya after a gap of 40 years, forcing 260 residents to be evacuated to temporary relief centres.
Striking suddenly at around 4 pm after heavy rains, the floods severely affected Felda Kerteh 1, Felda Kerteh 4, Felda Kerteh 6, and Ketengah Jaya, leaving a deeply felt impact on the affected residents.
Nik Noorin Nor Ab Rahman, 59, recounted receiving a call from her brother about water entering his house while they were on their way home to Felda Kerteh 1 from Kelantan. Initially dismissing it as minor, she was shocked to discover that the water had risen to waist level and vehicles were being submerged.
“My brother tried to retrieve his car keys but was too late as the water had submerged two cars and three motorcycles. A resident then helped us using a tractor,” she said.
Seeing her house inundated by the swift current of the flash flood, Nik Noorin feels helpless and unable to do anything, estimating her family’s losses to be over RM50,000.
Marina Husain, 36, from Ketengah Jaya, described the harrowing experience of watching the water rise to thigh level in just 15 minutes, causing panic and trauma.
The flash flood incident in Ketengah Jaya resulted in the highest number of flood victims in the third wave in Dungun, reaching 1,220 people as of 2 pm on Monday.
Five other affected districts are Hulu Terengganu with 728 people, Kemaman (361 people), Setiu (215 people), Besut (106 people), and Marang (12 people), making a total of 2,642 evacuees still seeking refuge in 53 relief centres, according to data from the Terengganu State Disaster Management Committee secretariat. – Bernama
