TANJUNG MALIM: Villagers of Kampung Orang Asli Chinggong here described Tuesday evening’s flood that hit their homes as the second worst incident since 2003.

A total of 410 villagers had to relocated to the temporary relief centre at the village hall after Sungai Chinggong overflowed.

A resident, Jefri Mohd Kassim, 52, said heavy rain began in the hill area around 2pm before reaching to the village.

“At the time, I was hosting guests at my home to celebrate the New Year. Suddenly, some villagers rushed to inform us that the river had overflowed.

“Within 10 minutes, water began flooding the yard, prompting me to instruct my family members to evacuate and bring essential documents to the hall,” Jefri said.

He said the floodwaters, carrying mud and debris, quickly surged into the village, leaving no time to save their household items.

Meanwhile, a person with disabilities, Chew Ho Seng, 43, said he saw the floodwaters rushing into his house.

“Without wasting time, I immediately called my nephew, who was sleeping inside, to inform him that the house was flooded.

“My nephew quickly pushed me on my wheelchair to the relief centre, and all our belongings were submerged,” he said.

Housewife Jamilah Dawi, 53, said she saw floodwater entering her yard after her daughter-inlaw alerted her.

“Our house is about 40 meters from the river. When the water level rose rapidly, we couldn’t save any belongings.”

She added that she managed to save important documents only before heading to the village relief centre.

Meanwhile, village Tok Batin Syarif Salaseh, 51, said the flood was the second-worst since the first major flood in 2003.

He said that not only did the river overflow, but the water also brought mud and debris into the village.

“The villagers could only save themselves. During the incident, children, the elderly and the sick were evacuated to the hall first with the help of other villagers,” he added.