From Floods To Quakes Segamat Residents Face New Fears

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Cracks have since appeared on the walls of her house. - NSTP picSEGAMAT: Ceiling fans swayed, windowpanes shuddered and tables trembled.
For a town more accustomed to rising floodwaters than rumbling ground, it was an unnerving experience.
From Aug 24 to Aug 31, seven small earthquakes — ranging from 2.5 to 4.1 magnitude — rattled Segamat and surrounding areas in northern Johor.
"I thought it was vertigo at first," said Saadiah Othman, 69, of Buloh Kasap, who had just risen for subuh prayers when her room began to rattle on Aug 24.
"But my husband felt the tremors too. For a few seconds, I thought the floor would crack.
"Then there was a loud boom, like a bomb going off underground. It lasted only moments, but the fear has stayed."
Cracks have since appeared on the walls of her house.
For others, the anxiety was just as raw.
"Segamat has never had quakes before," said Karen Hoy, 44, of Taman Yayasan.
"I can only pray nothing worse comes. I told my family, if it happens again, run outside to open ground."
A father from Taman Astakajaya, who declined to be named, described how every tremor sent waves of panic through his family.
"The ceiling, the doors, the floor, everything shook. This is an old housing area. I don't feel safe anymore, especially for my children."

Saadiah Othman. - NSTP pic
Lorry assistant M. Nagaraja, 32, worries about his daughter, 5.
"What if stronger tremors happen when she is in school? Every day I leave for work worrying about her safety."
Even younger residents are unsettled.
"Floods, we know how to handle," said Mustafa, 23, an e-hailing driver.
"But this… the ground never moves here. It's frightening because we've never prepared for it."
Authorities confirmed minor cracks in five government buildings and several homes, though none posed structural risks. No casualties or injuries have been reported.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) said the tremors were linked to activity along the Mersing Fault Zone, a major fault belt on the peninsula.
Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam, former health minister and member of parliament for Segamat, told the NST that authorities should conduct an assessment of the tremors and draw up plans for the next course of action.
"Anyone would be worried. Before, floods were our concern. I was an MP for 15 years, and we never experienced any quakes.
"It looks like the quake activity is now in Segamat, unlike previously when it happened in other areas like the Indian Ocean and in some areas in Indonesia and the Philippines."- NST

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