A man sits on a boat in a flood affected area in Temerloh, December 7, 2013. Four states in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia have been affected by the annual monsoon floods. — Reuters pic

KEMAMAN. Dec 16 — The floods have receded after Kemaman was inundated for days by what residents called the biggest floods in over 40 years.

A total of 13,237 people throughout Terengganu were evacuated from Dec 3 but those who still have homes have since returned.

They now face the daunting task of cleaning their houses of the silt and mud left behind by floodwaters and sorting out their possessions which can be salvaged.

For days, mounds of clothes, furniture and household items lined the streets of Terengganu, waiting to be carried off by local council workers who had to resort to backhoes and dump trucks to cart off the tons of rubbish.

A partially submerged car is seen in front of a house at a flood affected area in Temerloh December 7, 2013. — Reuters pic A child opens the door to a house at a flood affected area in Temerloh December 7, 2013. — Reuters pic A resident sits in front of his house at a flood affected area in Temerloh December 7, 2013. — Reuters pic Residents are seen on a boat at a flood affected area in Temerloh, December 7, 2013. — Reuters pic A child swims in the flood waters in Temerloh, December 7, 2013. — Reuters pic A man sits on a boat in a flood affected area in Temerloh, December 7, 2013. Four states in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia have been affected by the annual monsoon floods. — Reuters pic An evacuee sits with her children inside a relief centre at Kemaman, December 6, 2013. — Reuters pic An evacuee eats inside a relief centre at Kemaman, December 6, 2013. — Reuters pic A woman rests next to her baby inside a relief centre after being evacuated at Kemaman, December 6, 2013. — Reuters pic A woman, who was evacuated after monsoon floods hit, sleeps inside a relief centre at Kemaman, December 6, 2013. — Reuters pic A bumper car is seen in floodwaters at a fun fair in Chenor, between the border state of Pahang and Terengganu, December 6, 2013. — Reuters pic Workers eat at a fun fair in Chenor, between the border state of Pahang and Terengganu, December 6, 2013. — Reuters pic A women is seen drying her clothes at a fun fair in Chenor, between the border state of Pahang and Terengganu, December 6, 2013. — Reuters pic A rice cooker is seen at a fun fair surrounded by floodwaters at Chenor, between the border state of Pahang and Terengganu, December 6, 2013. — Reuters pic Residents lift up their washing machine in a house at Chenor, between the border state of Pahang and Terengganu, December 6, 2013. — Reuters pic A car is submerged in Sungai Isap river in Kuantan, about 300 km (186 miles) outside Kuala Lumpur early December 6, 2013. Four states in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia have been affected by monsoon floods. — Reuters pic Previous Next

Outside car workshops and service centres, rows of cars were seen waiting to be cleaned out and repaired while police closed an eye to vehicles driven around without number plates washed away by the floods.

Many buildings have had their electricity and water restored but still bear stains on their walls, and sometimes roofs, which show how high the water levels rose this year.

But despite all this, the people of Terengganu have remained resolute, particularly in villages, and have come to each other’s aid to overcome the damage wrought by this year’s floods.

Help also came from all across the country, most noticeably from four-wheel drive car clubs whose members were often seen braving flooded roads to send aid to some of the more isolated villages.

Other volunteers and contributors have also made their presence felt, including those from political parties and even water concessionaires from other states.

Some families, however, are still in need of aid as the unexpected deluge has resulted in their houses, which survived years of annual floods, now damaged beyond repair.