Just when the 42-year-old was recovering from the surgery, flood waters swept through his home in Sungai Buloh.
Last week, water rose to above 1m around his family’s rented home, located on the grounds of a tahfiz school, forcing his and seven other families to their roofs.
Their houses in Kampung Kubu Gajah are located beside Sungai Subang, which burst its banks during the downpour.
The families claim that rescue boats ignored their cries for help throughout the night of Dec 18.
The flood receded the next day, and Rashdan’s wife, Rohkiah Abdul Aziz, found that the chillers and other items she used at her laksa stall were ruined. The two cars the family used to transport food were floating in muddy water.
Rohkiah, who is from Penang, runs a roadside stall called Cik Kiah Laksa.
Speaking about their ordeal in a phone interview, she said they had to travel far to a relief camp to try to get hot meals and some necessities.
But they got turned away. The officials there said the items were rationed for “the specific area” only and outsiders could not ask for help.
“They told us to wait for help in our area,” she told FMT. “They would not budge even after we had waited for leftovers or unclaimed food. So we went back.
“Until today, not even one government agency or YB has come to help. We feel like refugees in a camp.”
Rohkiah said their landlord later donated eggs, rice and other food items, but she ended up giving them to a pregnant neighbour and older folk “who needed them more”.
She learnt that one had to complete certain procedures to be eligible for aid.
First, one had to lodge a police report. Lodging the report, however, took her eight hours at a designated police station 5km away at Sungai Pelong as there was only one officer on duty.
“I had to fill up three forms, one to the district officer, one to the assemblyman’s service centre and another to the zakat authority.
“All the forms were filled on Dec 20 and submitted to the penghulu’s office, but it’s been a week and we haven’t heard from anyone.”
She has resorted to pleading to the public for help, asking for mattresses, pillows, stoves, gas cylinders and kitchen appliances.
Rohkiah said she and her neighbours were now wondering how they would pay their RM800 monthly rent.
“We don’t know what to do. We hope someone can help.”