.JPG "A Mitsubishi Storm is pictured ferrying residents away from their homes with Norlita (in black tudung at the front) giving directions to the driver.")
SEBERANG PERAI, Nov 7 ― Car salesmen, lorry drivers, medical staff and random volunteers from Kuala Lumpur spent their day yesterday and today helping out those affected by the massive floods over the weekend.
Early this morning, three friends who are all in car sales ― Norlita Mohd Noor, Ang Beng Chai and Lim Soon Hua ― decided to help those affected by the floods.
“I asked my boss to use a four-wheel drive in the shop to help ferry flood victims and despatch food and he agreed,” Norlita said.
So the trio ― two sell used cars at 99 Automobile in Bagan Ajam and one is a Perodua salesman ― drove a black Mitsubishi Storm pickup truck to the flood-hit areas in Sungai Dua in north Seberang Perai.
They started making the rounds at 7am with a small supply of bread and water to hand out to those who needed food. At the same time, they provided transportation service to those who were unable to go in or out of their flooded homes.
“We drove all around and picked up people who wanted to go home but found it difficult to wade through the flood waters and we helped to take them out if they wanted to go out to the shops outside,” Norlita said.
The trio drove through metre-high flood waters as Norlita stood on the truck’s open cargo bed calling out to people and offering to take them to their destination.
“We wanted to help out and since the car is in the shop, might as well use it to help,” she said.
The trio’s four-wheel drive was not the only one offering transportation services as private lorries and numerous private four-wheel drive vehicles were seen plying the flooded areas, often ferrying groups of residents to and fro.
“There are a lot of other lorry drivers and NGOs doing this too but there is still a need for this as long as the flood waters have not receded,” Norlita said.
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Over at the Dewan Besar Sungai Dua, a doctor, six nurses and a pharmacist from the Bagan Specialist Centre were on standby to provide medical care to evacuees at the centre.
“We came here to provide medical service and medicine for the victims,” one of them said.
The eight of them were there to provide the services voluntarily as they felt medical care is important in such difficult times.
Next to the hall, set up in the futsal court, is Kembara Kitchen from Kuala Lumpur.
The travelling kitchen, founded by William Cheah, was set up after the team of 10 arrived here from Kuala Lumpur earlier today.
The group had initially set up a kitchen in a relief centre in Juru but due to some mix-up, they were later sent to the Sungai Dua centre instead.
So, the team had to dismantle the kitchen in Juru and head towards Sungai Dua.
They managed to set up the kitchen in the afternoon at the Sungai Dua centre today and almost immediately started cooking up dinner for close to 200 victims there.
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Cheah’s Kembara Kitchen is not new at providing help in terms of food and other essential items to victims in flood hit areas.
Cheah, his wife Chan Yi Lyn, and their group of volunteers have travelled numerous times in their four-wheel drive vehicles to help flood victims in the east coast during the monsoon season.
Though they brought supplies with them, Cheah said they needed more volunteers to help get fresh food supplies so that they can cook full meals for those staying at the relief centre.
He hoped locals not affected by the floods can join his team to help get and transport raw ingredient supplies for the kitchen.
Those keen to help can call Cheah at 012-9488560.
