Taiping Nurse's Harrowing Flood Experience: 'No One Came!'

Taiping: Imagine your house filling up with floodwater, family trapped, and calls for help going unanswered. That's what happened to Noor Shafinaz Fadzil, a nurse from Taiping, when recent floods hit her home.

The 42-year-old from Taman Larah Damai described a desperate situation where rising waters trapped her, her husband, and her two-year-old son. With no rescue team in sight, she made a final call – to her father.

"It was our last resort. I called my father in Sungai Petani because we were trapped," she explained. "The water was already at my waist! I showed the situation in videos to the rescue team, but they kept asking for more. No one came."

The Ordeal Begins

Noor Shafinaz, who works at the Teluk Medan Health Clinic, recounted how the trouble started shortly after she returned from work around 6 pm. It was raining cats and dogs.

"My husband warned me to drive carefully because of the rain. The road I usually take floods, but this time, the water rose much faster," she said.

When she got home, the rain just kept getting heavier. Then, water started pouring in through the back door.

"I opened the door and saw the water rushing in. Within minutes, it was up to my waist! We tried to get out, but the current was too strong. The pressure broke our sliding door," she added.

"The current swept us off our feet. I was panicking – I have anxiety, and I thought I was going to die!"

They managed to climb onto their car. That's when she made a video call to her father, begging for help.

"I begged for help... everybody was busy at that time."

Neighbours to the Rescue!

Her desperate plea went viral. But with no official help arriving, the family had to rely on neighbours and friends.

"My husband texted his friends. One of them, Cikgu Alex, swam through the flood with a long cable. We held onto it to get across. I grabbed an empty petrol bottle to float because I can't swim!"

Her husband, Mokhairi Mohammad, a driving school teacher, almost drowned twice before a policeman nearby helped pull him to safety.

"I passed my child to Cikgu Alex and just prayed. Without them, we wouldn't have survived. The current was too strong; my legs were floating!"

They finally reached safety after wading through 500 metres of floodwater. Their cars and a motorcycle were completely submerged.

"I only saved my phone. Everything else is gone," she lamented.

Call for Action

Noor Shafinaz said flooding wasn't new to the area, but this was the worst she'd ever seen. She pointed out that raised roads for housing development had worsened the situation.

"When it rains, the water rushes straight into our area," she said.

She's now urging the authorities to review drainage and flood mitigation systems to prevent future disasters.

"We survived by clinging to a cable. No family should have to go through that again!"