KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 — The floods that hit the Klang Valley have prompted many parties, including corporations, houses of worship and individuals to come together in the spirit of Keluarga Malaysia to offer assistance with the hope of easing the burden of flood victims.
Their concern and the power of social media has enabled assistance to reach victims as various parties opened their doors and offered refuge and aid when the flooding got worse on December 18.
The chairman of Karangkraf Group Sdn Bhd’s board of directors, Datuk Hussamuddin Yaacub tweeted yesterday that Karangkraf was offering its facilities, including its parking area, halls, suraus, toilets and at its Karangkraf complex in Section 15, Shah Alam to the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) and the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) as their operations centre in Shah Alam.
Meanwhile, Tengku Ampuan Jemaah mosque in Bukit Jelutong, Selangor revealed in a Facebook post that 400 flood victims of all races had sought shelter at the mosque since last night.
A flood victim, who wanted to be known only as Mohd Zaini from Jitra, Kedah who was interviewed on Facebook Live said he and his family came to Shah Alam to attend a wedding at Batu Tiga.
“We suddenly found ourselves stranded a kilometre before the Bukit Jelutong toll booth from 1pm yesterday (December 18) until 2am today (December 19). Suddenly a group of volunteers knocked on the car door, and offered us to stay at this mosque, transporting us via canoe through chest-deep waters,” he said.
Mohd Zaini said apart from being able to rest, those who took refuge at the mosque also received food, drink, clothes, disposable diapers, mattresses and blankets from the Bukit Jelutong community.
Meanwhile, Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara posted on its Facebook account its offered of new and unused wards as temporary shelters for flood victims.
“If you are near our hospital and looking for a temporary shelter, our new and unused wards are open for you,” the hospital posted on its Facebook account yesterday.
Meanwhile, the SikhInside Twitter account shared on December 18 that the Shah Alam Gurdwara had opened up accommodation on the first floor of the building.
“We have cooked almost 150 kg of rice since 9am in the morning. Volunteers are welcome to join us at Gurdwara Sahib Petaling Jaya. Please note that all meals will be vegetarian/halal,” it said in a posting yesterday.
A director of NA Maju Logistics Sdn Bhd, P Narain Kumar, 34, when contacted, said he used his truck to transport an elderly woman, three members of her family and their pet dog who were stranded at their house in Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam to seek refuge at their relative’s house in Selayang.
“I was contacted and was asked to offer some assistance. I cannot let this opportunity pass to contribute to help ease the burden of those in need,” he said.
— Bernama
