On his way home to Taman Bandar Jaya here, the piercing wail of the flood warning siren suddenly shattered the air. Strong winds howled and an unusually heavy downpour battered Bintulu town.
That night, he uploaded videos to Facebook, sharing footage of floods in Kampung Gita, Kuching. He had no idea Bintulu was about to suffer the same fate as the rain continued overnight.
By the time he woke up on the morning of Jan 29, floodwaters had already surged into his housing area. Alarmed, he rushed to check on his grocery store on the ground floor of the nearby Pine Court apartments only to find the area flooded, water reaching up to his chest.
Dread gripped him as he waded towards his shop, located almost 40m from the main road. His concern was not for his inventory but for the stray animals sheltering inside – three dogs and two cats.
Struggling to push open the door to his shop, Ngu barely had time to react before Panjang the dog leapt out. Momoi, another dog, was precariously perched on a floating fridge, while the two cats Noty and Simba remained safe inside a cage.
But Tam Tam, his black dog, was initially nowhere to be seen. Thankfully, Ngu found the pooch perched atop a stack of rice packs, trembling but safe. If he had arrived just 30 minutes later, he could have lost all the animals.
Having ensured they were alright, Ngu turned his attention to the other strays around Pine Court. With the help of fire and rescue personnel who came in a boat, Ngu searched for the canines but couldn’t locate them.
After the firemen left the area to evacuate other residents, Ngu received help from members of the recreational Tubau Club, who were there with their longboat to assist in evacuation efforts.
They finally rescued Unicorn, Luna, Nekma, Baby Sipan, Lala and Rocky from different spots in the vicinity. The pooches were exhausted – an indication that they had been struggling to save themselves from the swift floodwaters.
Only after ensuring the safety of the strays did Ngu pause to take in the extent of the devastation. Everything in his grocery shop had been destroyed.
“I lost my livelihood, but it is OK as long as the furballs are safe,” he said in one of the several videos he uploaded on Facebook documenting his efforts in rescuing strays during the Bintulu floods.
While he has accepted his losses with grace, Ngu – who has 216,000 followers on Facebook – could not help but wonder how he would rebuild his business, the proceeds from which have helped him feed 70-80 strays around town for over 10 years.
Thankfully, netizens have since come forward to help Ngu restart his business. Loyal followers have donated money, while close friends and even residents from the Bintulu Orphanage Welfare Complex volunteered to clean his shop.
“In recognition of his kindness to both humans and street animals, Francis needs our help, even though he never asked for it,” said one Facebook follower who started a crowdfunding campaign to help Ngu get back on his feet.
In a more recent video, Ngu appears more hopeful. “Still waiting for repair and renovation works to be completed at the shop. There will be lots of rooms for the furballs,” he shared, hinting that he might be opening a pet hotel.
This news was welcomed by his followers. “Yes. Got a room for bulus2 soon,” one of them commented.
“Daddy Bella has a really good heart… only God can repay him,” another added. “He takes care of the welfare of street animals and helps those in need… not everyone can be like this.”
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