The floods that hit the southern state of Johore during the Christmas season were so bad that it became world headlines and was reported on CNN and CNBC world news. It was an event that caught everyone by surprise as it was a 100 year flood, which means that such magnitude of flood is expected to happen only once in a 100 years.

The deluge left many parts of the state under water for more than a month. Many towns and villages were affected and total damage runs to about RM1.5 billion both to public as well as private properties. Not to mention, many of the grassroots were affected to the extent that many families lost their jobs and earnings.

It was when the flood had subsided halfway that we made a reconnaissance visit to the affected areas in the district. What we saw was the plight of the flood victims all cramped together in the evacuation centers in schools and community halls. More than 114,000 victims were displaced. This did not give much of the true picture and the extent of the damage until we took a boat tour of the area.

We saw an entire village under 5-10ft of flood water. All the families were evacuated and there was nothing else that they could do. It was apparent that these families were in dire need for help to get back to their former lifestyle.

The IDS staff was very generous by donating blankets (contribution from each staff) and toiletries product jointly with Unilever. These were part of the much needed items for the victims as it was a means for them to start life afresh. This items were given out from 10.2.07 and ended on 16.2.07 in Yong Peng and Batu Pahat.