PENDANG, Oct 16 — The tornado which hit Kampung Alor Besar, here, two days ago left the villagers traumatised, especially the victims who were affected by it.
In the incident which occurred at about 4.30pm, 11 homes with about 50 victims and Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Alor Besar were badly damaged.
The incident caused many trees to be uprooted, and roofs, walls and household items to be flung away.
However, the victims were grateful despite the test as although their homes were damaged, there were no reported injuries or loss of life.
Since the incident, many people have come to their aid, including community and political leaders, government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
The aid was in the form of cash, food items and house-cleaning works.
Others also helped by repairing the belongings and homes of the victims, some of which were 90 per cent damaged.
Chairman of the Kampung Alor Besar Village Security and Development Committee, Norzizan Jaafar said beginning today, volunteers would help repair the roofs of the damaged homes.
He said the repairs were carried out by about 30 volunteers from the Belia Pendang NGO and students of Giat Mara Pendang.
Speaking to Bernama today, he said the allocation from Pendang Umno was used to replace damaged roofs.
He added that so far, the reaction from the victims was good and they were grateful for the aid provided.
One of the victims, Mohd Hafiz Abu Bakar, 31, said he was grateful for the aid provided by various parties including the state government, in repairing his home which was hit by the tornado on Tuesday.
The father of two said he could not afford to repair his home as it was badly damaged and required a large sum of money to repair.
He said he hoped the relevant authorities would speed up the process of repairing his home for his family to live in.
“I am now staying at my parents’ house temporarily. I hope the parties concerned will help repair my house for a better and more secure life for my family,” Mohd Hafiz, a lorry driver, said. — Bernama
