PETALING JAYA: Stunned by the rapidly rising water, a 65-year-old chef and his family could only watch in disbelief from the upper storey of their home as their vehicles were submerged.

       Panir Selvam, who lives in Taman Sri Muda, Seksyen 25, Shah Alam, said the ground level of his house was completely inundated, adding that he could see his dining table, refrigerator, washing machine and other household appliances floating in the water.

       He said his son, whose car was not even a year old, was underwater as well as their other vehicles.

       “It started at 4pm on Saturday when the water rushed into the house. It happened so quickly. Just like that, the entire area was flooded.

       “It was like a sea. We couldn’t imagine it. We could hardly save anything.

       “We’ve lost everything – our cars, household appliances, everything,” he said yesterday.

       As the water gushed into their house, Panir said he took shelter on the upper floor together with his wife, son, and sister.

       He said as at 4pm yesterday, the water level was slowly subsiding and the rain had stopped.

       However, he expressed his disappointment at the lack of aid and support from the authorities.

       “No one came to help us. No one sent any aid. The only ‘help’ I saw was a Bomba team on a boat that was looking for a pregnant lady. Apart from that, no one came, no food aid, nothing.

       “I could hear children crying and women shouting for help this morning. I hope the authorities will come save them because I cannot do anything. I can’t even get out of my house,” he said.

       Panir urged the authorities to send aid as the elderly in the area needed food to take with their medication.

       Taman Sri Muda is known to be a low-lying area and has been prone to floods for years.

       Panir said the area faced its worst flooding 22 years ago in December, followed by frequent flooding where the water levels only reached the ankle or the knee.

       He lamented the fact that despite knowing this, the government did not do anything nor had there been any mitigation plans to prevent flooding.

       “This time the water reached unimaginable levels. The government knows this area is prone to flooding but after so many years, nobody has done anything.

       “This area is in a well-planned city. It is middle class. It is not a slum. The area is 2m lower than the rest of the locality,” he added.

       On Twitter, the topic for Taman Sri Muda also trended with numerous people having to seek help after they were stranded in their homes for more than 24 hours without food.

       Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, in a tweet at 5.45pm yesterday, said he had taken note of the critical situation in Seksyen 25, Taman Sri Muda.

       “All suitable assets such as boats have been mobilised to assist in the evacuation process of the flood victims. I understand that the number of military personnel too has been increased to assist this effort,” he said.

       The Malaysian Armed Forces has been actively carrying out operations to rescue members of the public who are trapped and said they were ready to expand aid to other areas that have also been badly affected.