RESIDENTS RACE AGAINST TIME TO SAVE THEIR BELONGINGS AS SUNGAI GOLOK OVERFLOWS

PASIR MAS, Dec 30 (Bernama) -- Although the sky was clear with no rain, the overflow of Sungai Golok began to 'surround' several villages in Rantau Panjang since this morning, forcing residents to remain on high alert for the impending threat of flooding.

The residents are now racing against time, trying to save anything they can before the floodwaters submerge everything.

A check by Bernama in Kampung Tersang, Kampung Lubok Gong, Kampung Lanchang, and Kampung Tok Deh found residents quickly moving vehicles and livestock to higher ground, turning the preparation into a race against time before the water continues to rise.

A school student from Kampung Tersang, Siti Khadijah Osman, 17, said she had packed all the important documents for her upcoming Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination tomorrow, including her notes and school uniform.

"The water started entering the yard around 9.30 am today. I, along with my six younger siblings, began packing the lighter items while waiting for my parents to return from work this afternoon," she told Bernama today.

Siti Khadijah said the packing would continue, including moving electrical appliances such as the washing machine and refrigerator onto a raft made from water barrels.

"If the water level rises further tonight, I will have to stay at the school hostel to sit for my SPM exam," she said.

Meanwhile, a resident of Kampung Lubok Gong, Melah Saifuddin, 90, said that her son had repaired the bridge in front of their house several times in preparation for the floods.

She explained that the 50-metre bridge, built in front of their house to the main road, facilitate their daily routines without having to wade through floods, which usually reach more than a metre deep in the area.

According to the infobanjir.water.gov.my portal, the Department of Irrigation and Drainage reported that the water level of Sungai Golok in Rantau Panjang had exceeded the danger level, reaching 10.28 metres (danger level is 9.0 metres).

-- BERNAMA