SERIAN: For days, the people here had been on edge. The heavy rains had finally stopped, but the damage had already been done.
Rivers swelled beyond their banks, and low-lying villages braced for the worst.
Maria Walbani had been keeping a close eye on the water levels, hoping her home in Kampung Hulu would be spared.
But as night fell on Jan 28, her fears were confirmed. The floodwaters came swiftly, creeping up the steps of her house, higher than ever before.
As floodwaters surged through Kampung Hulu that night, Maria’s world turned upside down.
What began as a frantic race to safeguard her home soon became a heart-stopping mission to protect her 17 beloved cats.
Serian had witnessed floods before, but Maria, 50, knew this one was different.
“The last flood was four years ago, and the water only reached the third or fourth step of our staircase.
“This time, it climbed to six steps. It was the worst we have ever experienced,” she recalled, shaking her head in disbelief.
Even before the waters began to rise, Maria sensed something was amiss.
Her cats, usually calm, were visibly anxious, pacing restlessly and meowing non-stop.
“It was like they could sense the danger. The rain had been relentless the day before, and I could feel something was coming,” she said.
By 10pm, the family was forced to make a quick decision. They had to move the cats to higher ground.
The older cats, who had survived previous floods, remained surprisingly composed. But the younger ones were frantic, unsure of what was happening.
“We placed them in cages and raised them as high as possible, almost to the ceiling of the lower floor.
“I barely slept throughout the flood, terrified the waves from passing boats might knock their cages over,” Maria recounted.
Among the 16 cats, one had a particularly terrifying ordeal. Kimchi, a one-eyed cat, had already defied death once before.
On Jan 30, Maria spotted her on the veranda, peering down at the swelling floodwaters. At that moment, she thought little of it.
But by nightfall, Kimchi had vanished.
“We searched everywhere, calling her name, but she was nowhere to be found.
“For a moment, we feared we had lost her,” Maria said, her voice tinged with the emotion of the past few days.
It was not until the morning of Feb 1 that Maria’s husband found Kimchi clinging desperately to a tree behind their house, surrounded by chest-deep floodwaters.
“She was shivering, meowing weakly. We rushed to her, and when we finally pulled her to safety, we could not believe our luck.
“We were just so relieved,” she said, her eyes welling with gratitude.
Kimchi’s survival was nothing short of miraculous. She had already faced death once before when she was hit by a car.
“People say cats have nine lives, but I think Kimchi’s down to seven now,” Maria joked, wiping away a tear.
“We are just thankful she is still with us.”
Maria’s oldest cat, Bujang, is the family’s wise old soul.
“If he were human, he would be in his 30s. He has been through it all,” she smiled, stroking Bujang’s fur.
Through all the chaos, Maria’s family had been well-prepared.
They had stocked up on cat food before the floodwaters arrived, ensuring that their furry companions would be well-fed during the worst of it.
The extra sack of food gave them one less thing to worry about as they navigated the crisis.
Serian was one of the worst-hit districts in Sarawak during the current floods, triggered by the Northeast Monsoon.
As of this evening at 4pm (Feb 2), more than 10,000 residents had been evacuated, with authorities establishing temporary relief centres for those displaced by the rising waters.
Despite the hardships, Maria remains steadfast in her optimism.
“We lost sleep, we worried, but at the end of the day, we are all safe — my family and my fur babies,” she said, her smile softening as she cradled Kimchi in her arms.
“Maybe next time, he will think twice before wandering too close to the floodwaters.”
