KOTA BARU: Every monsoon season, rising floodwaters turn homes into traps, forcing families to flee for safety.
Amid the chaos, Raja Shamri Raja Husin and his team of volunteers are often the first to reach those in need, helping flood victims escape the swollen rivers and muddy currents.
For him, one rescue has remained etched in his memory.
“I remember having to carry a baby in my arms while crossing floodwaters from the child’s home.
“There was no life jacket small enough for the baby. If I slipped, the risk to the child’s life was real,” said Raja Shamri, founder of the Raja Shamri Foundation.
The experience, he said, occurred during last year’s floods and happened again this year.
It highlighted a critical gap in flood rescue efforts — a lack of safety equipment for infants and young children.
Raja Shamri said only a few evacuated babies and children under the age of 6 wore life jackets.
This, he said, exposed them to danger as rescuers navigated strong currents and uneven terrain.
“Life jackets are available for adults, but babies and small children are often left unprotected.
“That worried us every time we had to wade through floodwaters.”
Determined to change that, he and his team at the foundation decided to act.
Using its own funds, the non-governmental organisation bought more than 100 specially designed life jackets for infants and children under 6.
Raja Shamri said the jackets were smaller than the standard adult variant and were first used during rescue operations last month.
“These life jackets make a huge difference. They give my staff peace of mind and, more importantly, they give children a chance to survive if anything goes wrong.”
He said if more organisations adopted this measure, many young lives could be protected during floods.
As the northeast monsoon continues to threaten low-lying areas in Kelantan, Raja Shamri and his team are standing ready, now better equipped to protect young flood victims.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
