KUALA LUMPUR: It has been over two months since the horrific floods in mid-December, but cancer survivor Tan Tin Haw, from the Tiong Nam area near Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, is still struggling to pick up the pieces.

       Tan, 67, recalls only having the clothes she had on after the floods. The rest of her belongings were damaged and most had to be thrown away.

       “My toes are affected because my legs were soaked in the water for so long. It also hurts,” she said.

       Prior to the floods, Tan said she had planned to renovate her kitchen and parts of her house.

       “Now I have to extend the renovation to the whole house,” she said.

       She said that even metal fittings installed after earlier floods did not help as the floodwater rose to over seven feet.

       “It was beyond what we ever imagined,” she said when met during an outreach programme by the Malaysian Red Crescent Society Kuala Lumpur (MRCSKL) here yesterday.

       Can we help?: Volunteers on Wheels’ members speaking to Tan at the outreach programme in Tiong Nam. — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star

       Residents from 200 households took part in the programme, which included mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services and health and hygiene promotions.

       There was also a mobile health clinic and a MRCS mobile vaccination counter for booster registration.

       The services were part of the Tropical Disaster Emergency Relief (TDW29W) programme, which targets vulnerable members of the community, including children and the elderly.

       Tan said experiencing the floods were very traumatising and she was thinking of moving.

       “But I have lived here for 43 years, and I have cancer, so I am unsure if I will actually see it through,” she said.

       Santhakumari R. Muniandy, 61, also said her home is still being repaired but it is now more liveable after being repainted.

       She said some well-wishers gave her old furniture, dining table, stove and refrigerator.

       “Everything was destroyed, even the doors don’t open or close properly anymore. We need to fix it too.

       “Now every time it rains, I think everyone in the area gets scared,” she said.

       Chong Sook Kiew, who lives with her disabled mother, is taking preventive measures by raising the height of her windows.

       “You cannot imagine the stench after the flood, it was awful. As you can see, things are still piled up in the porch and we are making some changes to the windows, doors and other things,” said the 56-year-old.

       Chong said she is still in shock over how high the floodwater rose and now keeps most of their things on the top floor of their home.Meanwhile, both Chong and Santhakumari said they are grateful for the MRCSKL programme.

       MRCS secretary-general Hakim Hamzah hoped their efforts would help enable residents to recover.