Malaysian unity and resilience in the face of adversity

The transition period into 2022 saw the Northeast Monsoon season compounded by a spill over effect from Typhoon Rai in the Philippines. Malaysia experienced some of the worst floods in half a century caused by the phenomenon known as Tropical Depression 29W.

Torrential rain descended from the heavens non-stop for over a day beginning 17 December 2021, flooding 33 districts in eight states and displacing 62,999 persons. As sources put it, Malaysia experienced one month’s rainfall in just one day – a once in a century event.

While the situation in the Klang Valley received garnered attention both in the mainstream and social media due to its more urban location, the situation in Pahang was worse. Data from the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) showed over 9,993 families, comprising 33,764 persons, were relocated to 240 evacuation centres in Pahang compared to 5,492 families or 23,216 persons in 118 evacuation centres in Selangor.

In true Malaysian spirit, corporates and citizens from all walks of life banded together voluntarily to join relief efforts to help affected residents. Jireh Consult was one of them. We worked with DUMC’s Social Concerns & Community Development (SCCD) to coordinate the resources and manpower for the relief efforts.

We took a 2-hour drive up to Mentakab, Pahang on a sunny morning of 29 December 2021 carrying cleaning equipment and hygiene and emergency care packs for the local community there.

Throughout the day we helped the clean the classrooms and tables and chairs of SMJK Hwa Lian. Some older residents also needed help to move their furniture and other home content to expedite their cleaning process to get their life back on track. The purpose of our trip was to lend a helping hand, and that, we did. We are after all, all Malaysians.