JERTIH, Dec 20 — The floods that hit Terengganu has not only damaged property and crops but also washed away several houses in Besut.

One of the houseowners, Raja Kamaruddin Raja Muhamad, 58, said his house, in which he, his wife and four children have called home for over 20 years, was destroyed and disappeared in just an instant.

“The incident occurred at around 3am Monday, when I was at the relief centre in Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Kampung La.

“Two more houses near mine were also destroyed after being washed away when the nearby Sungai Besut broke its banks,” he told Bernama when met at the site of his house today.

He said his family was unable to save anything from the house besides a fridge.

Raja Kamaruddin said the floods were worse than the flood that hit Besut in 2000, which had also swept his house away then.

“My house was swept away in the 2000 flood but was not lost completely so I built a new one with cement but this time it’s all gone.

“The water level is higher this time, an estimated five metres (m) while the currents are swift, almost 30 per cent faster than before.

“Luckily, my family and I, and all the other victims had evacuated to the relief centre,” the famer said, urging the government to provide necessary aid to them.

His neighbour, Azlan Mat Diah, 63, was also equally devastated when his wooden house, located around 100m from Raja Kamaruddin’s house, was also destroyed after being swept 20m away from its original site.

“It happened when I was with my wife, Norma Abdullah, 54 and his 24-year-old son at the relief centre.

“The other flood victims and I evacuated on Sunday morning as the river overflowed but the floodwaters continued to rise drastically till my house, which is not far from the riverbank, was washed away,” the rubber tapper said.

Azlan was however able to move his household items, including electrical appliances and clothes, to a safe place earlier.

He also said that the floods are the worst in the past 30 years and hoped that the government would be able to help him and others who have suffered similar tragedies. — Bernama