Flooding in Jerantut and the Surrounds.

Lending a helping hand to schools.

One of the many classrooms damaged at SK Tanah Rom.

It was a tough start to 2015 for many people in Malaysia with the immense flooding.  Just over a month has gone by and some people are still getting their lives back together.  I had never experienced such vast destruction before.  It was a humbling experience and quite surreal knowing that just 20 minutes away from our houses people were suffering and recovering from the destruction.  In the morning we would drive to a school, try to clean up the damage as much as possible and then in the afternoon return to the safety and comfort of our house, which was fortunately not damaged by the flood. 

Jinks, Josh and myself donated goods and helped clean various schools in the week leading up to the start of the new school year.  One of my schools, SK Perian, was badly damaged and they are still recovering and slowly getting the school back to normality.  It is amazing to see the spirit of the teachers and students and how they continue to learn and study despite the tough time they have had. We also helped at SMK Pulau Tawar where the water mark was 2m high on the first floor!  The amount of mud on the school property and in the classrooms was incredible. 

Pictures undoubtedly say more than words so here are some photos of the areas surrounding Jerantut.

Clearing out rooms at SK Perian.

The water mark at SK Perian.

Sweeping out mud at SK Perian.

Donating goods.

Sweeping out mud at SK Tanah Rom

The water mark at SMK Pulau Tawar.

Is that a boat in the road?

A thick layer of mud in the road outside SMK Pulau Tawar.

~Melissa Simon
     ELP, Jerantut Cluster