BESUT, Jan 1 ― Pounding waves that battered the coastline due to high tide phenomenon last night were giving the villagers in Kampung Pantai and Kampung Pengkalan Atap near Kuala Besut the jitters.
One of the residents, Abdul Razak Mohd Zaid, 31, from Kampung Pengkalan Atap, said it all started at about 8.30pm when the big waves started to pound the back portion of the homes of eight villagers located near the beach.
“The big waves caused seawater to overflow and flood our homes. It also flooded the road located about 50 metres from the houses,” he told Bernama.
Abdul Razak said the incident happened so fast that the affected residents did not have enough time to move their household items such electrical appliances to a higher place.
“I had to place sandbags behind the kitchen door to avoid the door being torn off by the waves,” he said.
Meanwhile, a fellow villager, Mohd Napi Sulong, 56, said the incident was the worst this year and it reminded him the similar situation occurred in 2014.
“I know this high tide phenomenon occurs every monsoon season but I did not expect it to be this bad,” he said.
Following the incident, 36 people from nine families from the two villages were evacuated to the Kampung Pantai community hall in Kuala Besut, last night.
Although the high tide phenomenon has eased since early this morning, the resident are still worried to return home as it is expected to occur again tonight. ― Bernama
