TELUK INTAN: “I am getting tired of cleaning my mud-filled house due to floods every year,” groaned Rashidah Darus, one of the villagers of Kampung Batu 7 ？, Lorong Mesra in Changkat Jong here, who had just returned to her house after floodwaters subsided.

       Rashidah, 32, who has been living in the area for 10 years, was forced to seek shelter at a temporary relief centre in SMK Abdul Rahman Talib along with her husband Zaini Mohd Imran, 45, and their six children when their house located near Sungai Batang Padang was inundated, with water at the neck level of an adult in some areas.

       According to her, floods in the area had gotten worse in the past few years and each time a flood happened, furniture and home appliances would be damaged or destroyed.

       “I bought most of the electrical appliances on instalment and before I could finish paying, they were all damaged.

       “I just could not save any of them as the water rose so fast. All I could think of was saving my children.

       “It will take a week to clean up the house.

       “While cleaning, I would sometimes find a cobra or two hiding under the piles of clothes,” she said when met by Bernama yesterday.

       Meanwhile, Zakiah Hussain, 61, who could not hold back her tears during the interview, said her house was covered in mud while the furniture and electrical appliances were destroyed.

       “I only managed to save my car registration card and personal identification documents.

       “I cried when I entered the mud-filled house and the enormous task of cleaning everything dawned on me,” said Zakiah, who has been living in the village for 20 years.

       Rohayu Rasli, 32, said there were also many challenges when cleaning the house, including coming across centipedes crawling all over the house.

       “Having to wash everything is exhausting.

       “I am getting tired of this perennial calamity,” said Rohayu, who has been living in the area with her husband and three children for 10 years.

       Yesterday, two relief centres in Hilir Perak, which were opened a week ago following the floods, were closed at 12.30pm when the stagnated floodwater finally receded and 95 victims from 24 families were allowed to return home.