CHUKAI: Two families in Felda Neram 2 here faced some anxious moments when the back portion of their houses suddenly collapsed.
Wan Mohammad Ubaidillah Wan Mohamed, 22, said the incident occurred around midnight Saturday when he and his cousin Mohd Saiful Bahari Ismail, 31, were soundly asleep.
He heard a loud noise and thought the roof had collapsed but, upon inspection, found his whole kitchen had caved in.
His cousin, asleep in a room near the kitchen, was also up and nearly hit by a falling wall.
“We quickly rushed out of the house. The kitchen, toilet, two bedrooms and furniture in them were all destroyed... only our living room and another bedroom are left standing,” he said when met at Felda Neram 2 here today.
Wan Mohammad Ubaidillah estimated his losses at over RM50,000, including the damage to his house, furniture and electrical appliances.
“I am now putting up at a neighbour’s house as my home is 80 per cent destroyed and the area is not safe for dwelling either,” he said.
Another victim, Ibrahim Awang, 67, said that he and nine other family members, including his daughter-in-law who gave birth recently, were sleeping in a room and in the living area.
He said they were all awakened by a loud noise coming from the kitchen area, which they thought was due to some wild elephants.
“I got up and went to check the back of my house. I was shocked to see that a landslide had occurred and our garden at the back had collapsed.
“We all quickly rushed out of the house. We were only thinking of our safety, especially that of my 20-day-old grandchild,” he said.
Ibrahim said although his house was not damaged, they had to move out as the area was unsafe.
“We are now staying at a homestay provided by the elected representative here,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chukai state assemblyman Hanafiah Mat said the state government has, through the State Disaster Fund, provided an allocation of RM140,000 to build new houses for the two families.
He said he had asked Felda to immediately identify a suitable location for the houses to be built.
He expects the houses to be completed in October as the land approval process by the Felda headquarters usually takes a long time.
“The state government has no problems channelling funds to build the houses for the victims immediately. It’s just that the land approval process may take about four to five months... quite slow. But I have discussed this with Felda’s management and they have asked for two days to repair the officer’s house, which is not occupied, to be used as a temporary residence by the victims,” he said. - Bernama
