The worst of this year’s monsoon deluge seems to be behind us already.
Waters are reportedly receding in most affected states apart from Kelantan, and many of those who had to be evacuated are already back home to pick up the pieces.
The number of evacuees had reportedly risen to almost 25,000 at its peak, with Kelantan the hardest hit. The state saw almost 10,000 of its people being forced to abandon their homes to seek shelter elsewhere.
Two women also lost their lives in this year’s floods. Both incidents happened in Kelantan. In the first case, a 70-year-old woman drowned when the car she was travelling in ended up in a ditch. Her 48-year-old daughter, who was driving, survived the ordeal.
In an earlier case, an Indonesian woman was found dead in a 4WD vehicle she was travelling in that had been swept away in a surge.
While we mourn those who have lost their lives, and express sympathies for the thousands of others who have lost almost everything to Mother Nature’s wrath, we must also remember the many who dropped everything to join the effort to help the victims.
From soldiers to policemen and firefighters to ordinary people, they risk their lives to ensure that others live.
TV and social media were replete with scenes of senior citizens and young children being carried to safety, as well as men and women in uniform pushing lifeboats in waist deep water to ferry people to higher grounds.
Thousands of personnel from the various uniformed units were deployed to play various roles in the evacuation process.
The armed forces came in with logistical assets while its personnel helped in the evacuation efforts and delivery of aid, while police personnel were there to keep the peace apart from helping in search and rescue operations.
Firefighters, trained to handle disasters, waded in with specialised equipment such as boats, and personnel from the Malaysian Civil Defence Force were there to help those who needed medical services.
The People’s Volunteer Corp (Rela) provided support to other agencies involved in the relief operations.
More than 400 volunteers from the Malaysian Red Crescent Society were sent to 150 relief centres to serve hot meals, provide psychosocial support, and to promote hygiene.
For the more than 1,500 Malaysians caught in the same deluge in southern Thailand, volunteers streamed across the border to help.
Among the first to respond to the distress call were members of the United Sikhs Malaysia, who were later joined by members of volunteer fire brigades from Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor and Johor.
In the east coast and northern part of the peninsula, the Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia’s (Imam) response and relief team were on hand to provide medical assistance.
In Teluk Intan, 12 volunteers from Kampung Selabak helped residents, especially senior citizens, rescue some of their belongings as the flood waters rose in their village.
Others who provided help were tow truck operators in Perlis, and a bus company that ferried stranded Malaysians across the border from Thailand.
Policemen or soldiers, firefighters or volunteers — these people came forward without fanfare, with little regard for their own safety and well-being. They went to ground zero, got everyone out of danger, and disappeared in the crowd, with nary a word of thanks or a token reward.
These selfless men and women will remain faceless. We will not recognise them even if we bump into them in the streets on a sunny day.
But we know for certain that without them, many more could have lost loved ones. They are our heroes.
We owe them a debt of gratitude.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
