SERIAN: The floodwaters crept in swiftly under the cover of darkness, affecting homes and livelihoods as they surged through Kampung Hulu here.
By the time dawn broke on Jan 29, Siti Nur Farhanie Spri, better known as Ninie, could only watch helplessly as her home and small food business were left in ruins.
For the 30-year-old entrepreneur, this was not her first encounter with floods.
Having grown up in a village prone to heavy monsoon rains, she and her family had always taken precautions.
Every two to four years, when the waters inevitably rose, they would lift their belongings onto steel scaffolding, a system designed to protect their most essential items.
But this time, it was different.
“This was the worst we have ever seen,” Ninie recalled.
“The water level went beyond what we had prepared for. We had no choice but to leave everything submerged.”
When the waters finally receded, what remained was a thick layer of mud and scattered debris.
The heartbreaking reality was that most of her equipment, everything she relied on to make a living, was either damaged or completely destroyed.
Yet, amid the devastation, Ninie did what she had always done. She rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
Ninie’s journey as an entrepreneur began long before she even realised it.
Raised in a family of food traders, she spent her childhood watching her mother prepare and sell homemade delicacies to sustain their family of six siblings.
“Everything we have today is because of my mother’s perseverance.
“She raised us through her small business, and that is why I never saw food trading as just a job. It is a way of life,” she noted.
Inspired by her mother’s resilience, Ninie wasted no time in carving out her own path.
After completing the National Service Training Programme (PLKN) in 2013, she immediately started selling food, using whatever resources she had at the time.
Over the years, she built a name for herself, selling ‘kuih-muih’, chicken rice, and Korean-style fried chicken.
Her business eventually expanded into catering, where she and her family would prepare meals for large gatherings and events.
The kitchen was always alive with the sounds of chopping, sizzling, and laughter, until the floodwaters silenced it all.
When met at her home, Ninie was crouched over a stack of muddy plates and cooking utensils, painstakingly scrubbing away the remnants of the disaster.
The kitchen that once produced meals for hundreds was now a disaster zone, but she refused to let it stay that way.
“It is exhausting, but this is the only way forward. If I just sit around mourning my losses, who is going to rebuild for me?” she said determinedly.
With her brothers, who also run their own food businesses, by her side, she has slowly begun picking up the pieces.
Some equipment can be salvaged with thorough cleaning, others will need to be replaced entirely.
The financial burden is heavy, but Ninie remains optimistic.
“The community has been incredibly supportive. Some of my regular customers even reached out, asking how they can help,” she said with a grateful smile.
Her goal now is to resume her business as soon as possible. While she acknowledges that it won’t be easy, giving up is simply not an option.
For Serian folk, the flood of Jan 29 will be remembered as a catastrophe that upended lives.
For Ninie, however, it is a reminder of the strength that lies within her, a strength she inherited from her mother, a strength that has seen her through every challenge life has thrown her way.
“This is not the first disaster we have faced, and it won’t be the last,” she said.
“But as long as I have my family and my will to work, I know we’ll get through this.”
As she stands at the threshold of rebuilding, Ninie is not just restoring her business.
She is reaffirming a legacy of resilience, proving that no matter how high the waters rise, she will always rise higher.
