Radiology Dept. Flood Relief Volunteers' Convoy to Amin's House on Jan 3rd 2015.

Kelantan is a state that is vulnerable to flooding especially during the northeast monsoon from October to January every year. After the massive floods in 1926, there were eight more major floods in 1967, 1971, 1974, 1980, 1988, 1994, 2004 and 2014 where flood incidents in the Sungai Kelantan basin affected and paralysed almost its economic activities.

The 2014 flood was the most significant and largest recorded flood in the history of Kelantan. These flood hit almost 90% of Kelantan state. The National Security Council also confirmed that the massive flood (Bah Kuning) that hit Kelantan was the worst in the history of the state. According to the council’s report, the water level of Sungai Kelantan at Kelantan's flood assessing point, Tangga Krai which has a danger level of 25 metres, reached 34.17 metres on 25th December 2014 @ 11.00 compared to 33.61 metres in1967. Tangga Krai (the famous Bradley Steps) is situated in Kuala Krai, 70 kilometres to the south of Kota Bharu.

Bah Kuning in Kelantan resulted in minimal casualties, with only 13 deaths recorded and there was a surge of patients at HUSM due to the closure of Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab ll Kota Bharu and nearby hospitals. In fact, the only available tertiary centre for all of Kelantan was HUSM. There was an influx of patients who presented to Hospital HUSM after Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II closed on the 25th of December, 2014.

Volunteers began to arrive in Kelantan on the 28th of December, 2014. A total of 261 volunteers registered with the Volunteer Operations Office (Bilik Gerakan Banjir Sukarelawan HUSM) to assist the administration of healthcare services. However, some of them had to go to other district areas.

The Radiology Department of HUSM led by Prof. Madya Dr Mohd Shafie made an initiative by gathering a group of volunteers which comprised of the staff from the department as well as some postgraduate students in Master of Medicine (Medical Radiology) to do some spring cleaning at one of the staff's house, Mr Amin Abdul Wahab, a medical technician, who was affected by the tragedy.

On the 3rd of January 2015, the team went to the location in Kampung Palekbang, 10 kilometres from the city of Kota Bharu: 

Mr Khew Kuan Kooi and S/N Norseriyah

   shoveled out as much mud as possible

Some of the volunteers who participated 

Lunch break after so much shoveling and spraying

Water jet sprayer was used to wash 
away mud from hard surfaces.

Dr Pralad, Dr Suraya, Dr Cheng (MMed students 

in Radiology) and Miss Auni (Amin's daughter)

Restoring energy to keep the momentum going

Some of the affected items

As could be seen on the pillar, 
the flood water rose up to 5 feet

Some of the items still can be used, 

some others had to be thrown out

These were the least that we could do to ease the burden that had to be endured by Mr Amin as one of the flood victims. The team and I would like to wish that he and his family could keep a positive attitude in going through the tough time. May this tragedy be a reminder to us all to always be humble and respectful in going about our daily lives as there is a force greater than all of us combined.