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Sunday November 7, 2010

Family forced to make a home out of a bus stop

By EDMUND NGO
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

ALOR SETAR: About 50 people are living in tents on a road divider and at bus stops in Titi Gajah after being forced out of their homes by floods. Among them were Ismail Mahmud and his extended family who are staying in a tent, which is set-up at a bus stop, while waiting for the floods to recede. Ismail, 69, said he and his wife initially moved to his son’s house on Tuesday. “However, my son’s place was flooded on Wednesday morning, leaving us with no choice but to relocate here at this bus stop,” he said.



Thank you: Ismail (seated) with a ABIM representative who presented him some rations at his bus stop home in Titi Gajah, Alor Setar.

The bus stop, next to a padi field, is located 3km away from his house where flood waters still remain at chest high level as of yesterday. Ismail said all 10 of them, including his daughter and her family members, had to cram under the shelter of the bus stop on Wednesday night with some of their belongings.

“We contacted a relative in Penang who sent us this tent the next day and took six family members to Penang, leaving four of us to look after our belongings,” he said.

Ismail hoped the water would subside soon as they had been surviving on rice, sardines and eggs. During an interview last night, a group of Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia volunteers handed some rations to the family. Ismail said he approached a relief centre on Wednesday but was turned away as the place was full.