BESUT, Jan 21 — In his 15 years as a stroke victim, Abdullah Salleh, 67, did not expect to be carried by a group of people—from the house to a ‘sampan’, then to a boat before a ride on a four-wheel drive—to an evacuation centre after he became one of the flood victims in his village.

Abdullah shared his anxious moments to Bernama when met at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Tembila evacuation centre here today. 

His wife Zaleha Ibrahim, 59, said she and her husband, from Kampung Gong Dua, had boarded the sampan, then a boat, before a ride on a four-wheel drive to reach the centre after their house became inundated since 4am today. 

"First, my son-in-law came and took us via ‘sampan’ to higher ground. Then a group of people came to carry my husband into the boat and then the ride the relief center as my husband can’t walk,” she said. 

She said it was the first experience for the family because their house never experienced floods before.

Meanwhile, her daughter Zalina Abdullah, 44, who lived nearby, said she and her husband did not have time to save their valuable belongings as water had risen sharply with no time to spare.

"I’m really sad because we didn’t have time to save anything including our car, all were submerged in flood waters. 

"We never experienced this kind of flood before. My husband and I had only thought about saving my parents and our children,” she said, adding that in less than two hours, the water flooded the house up to her neck. — Bernama