Natural disasters in Malaysia: Resilient Cities photography contest

The FCRI’s Resilient Cities theme recently hosted a photography contest on natural disasters in Malaysia. Here are the winning photographs.

First Prize

Photos were taken during the 2015 Kelantan flood relief. It was the worst flood in so long and it hit Manek Urai badly. People are helpless as they don’t know how and where to start to rebuild their homes. NGOs and governments were stepping in to provide aid. It was good to see Malaysia come together to provide helping hands.

Judges’ comments

Thomas Phoon: This picture tells stories behind it, the natural disaster that destroyed the kampung, the kid’s home. The kid standing on the broken furniture and this kid’s expression make this photograph stand out. It expressed the mood of sadness in the whole picture. It also conveyed that this incident hurt people who suffered in the disaster, especially him. Colour grading also showed the mood of this disaster. 

Ian Teh: It is a very well-considered shot because in one image it describes the sense of loss, and you can tell not only by the child’s expression on his face, where he was slightly grimacing, but also interestingly, his body posture tells a lot in the story. From the way his arms and his body are placed, and the way he is looking outside of the frame, you can imagine the scene of destruction. But also within the frame itself, the house or the kampung behind him, the trees and the bench he is standing on, and even the brick wall that you see in the left-hand corner, all these create a frame that frames him within a small space. Therefore, it kind of holds this whole picture together as well. So, it’s a skilful use of composition in the picture, but it also has a situation that the photographer has managed to capture. Also, the little details in the picture, not just the destruction but also little details of the home, from clothes, curtains, and elements, even the sofa, etc. They’re in the wrong place, they are outside of the indoors. One final thing is that the photographer, from the way he toned the picture, took considerations how he wanted his final image to look, without it being overdone.

Second Prize

一场被誉为“树桐海啸”的洪灾，让位于彭亨文冬县的双溪必得新村（Kampung Baru Sg Perdak) 这个平静纯朴的小村山河色变，满目疮痍。災后，村内一片脏乱，除了厚厚的泥浆，树桐、枝桠无处不在。屋子毁不成形。只有五六间民宅在收拾后可以继续居住，其余大部份屋子结构都被洪水及树桐摧毁。

A flood named “Timber Tsunami” struck a tranquil and simple village at Kampung Baru Sg. Perdak, Bentong District in Pahang, leaving that village with a scene of devastation. After the disaster, the village was a mess. Apart from the thick mud, tree trunks were scattered everywhere. The houses were ruined. There were only 5-6 houses in liveable condition after being cleaned up, and the remaining houses’ structures are destroyed by the massive flood.

Judges’ comments

Thomas Phoon: The main focus in my point of view is the motorbike. And when the wide lens is used, it emphasised the foreground, the woods in front being magnified. Most importantly, the motorbike that is going through the flood, shows that the flood has affected the normal lives of human beings (the people that are staying there). The destruction is very obvious in the picture. The message that is being conveyed by this picture is that “the flood has affected the normal lives of the people”.

Ian Teh: It is a very graphic shot, the photographer chose to use a wide lens in this context to accentuate the destruction. If the photographer had used a normal lens, it would still be a nice shot, but you would not feel the sense of the scale of destruction. Everything is on the same plane, although it’s in layers, you almost see it on the same plane, even though the bike and the flood, the trees are behind, further back. What I like about it is the kind of creative choice that the photographer has made to interpret the scene. The destruction was already there but they gave and added an element of interpretation to accentuate what was there, to dramatise the situation. The shot is quite simple like the motorbike is roughly somewhere around one-third of the image or close to the middle so it’s quite balanced. The bike being there has also provided a sense of scale, you can see how big and serious the destruction was. Usually, I don’t like a wide-angle lens as it distorts too much of the image, but in this situation, it’s not too bad. It even emphasises the houses that are crumbled and fallen in some way, so it is also a creative way of emphasising the destruction.

Third Prize

Double hazard, floods, and the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was raining non-stop for a week, causing the water in Sungai Johor to overflow. Kota Tinggi is inevitably hit by the flood. A few residential areas in Kota Tinggi had been submerged in the flood. Tan Fu Rong in Taman Kuso is a flood victim, who is also a patient with chronic diseases. He was rescued by the rescue team and evacuated to a safe place.

This sudden flood happened without warning while the threats of Covid-19 were not yet overcome. The victims had to self-test for Covid-19. Only if the test result was negative, they were allowed to stay at the flood evacuation centre. With the help and love of all people,  the problems faced by the flood victims were solved.

Judges’ Comments

Thomas Phoon: The help that people need is being seen from this picture. This old man is a disabled man who needs help, and someone is providing him a helping hand. In the frame, we can see some people walking in the water, it’s a rescue operation but the human touch is there. When something happens, everyone is there to help even though it is a very tough time. Looking at the facial expression of this old uncle, he is looking in front, which means that he is looking forward to something, for hope, thinking of a better future since someone is helping and assisting him. I really like this picture because it is very touching from the old man’s expression.

Ian Teh: The expression on the man’s face, and there’s a sense of purpose, seeing out of the picture and going towards somewhere and he was being assisted. And what is interesting about this picture is you tend to read this picture, first you see him and helpers (the rescue operations), but when you pull back and look at the image again, you can actually see other elements as well, like the guy on the left holding a cane. You tend to read the image from left to right, then you see the guy again being helped. I like the arms of the left guy and then the old man and then you will see the connection from the shoulders to the body with another set of arms from the rescue operators that are helping him. Those actually replicated the pattern of the walking frame and the walking stick in a way, so it kind of created a pattern within the image. And then when moving over to the right, you will start seeing the people in the background and you will have some context about the scale, the places that are affected, and obviously any kind of media operations that are going on to report on what is going on, the drone that is there as well. It is well framed and showed something that the first two images don’t show, which is the rescue operation and what is going on, and another aspect of the disaster.

Consolation Prize 1

The village Of Asahan near Bestari Jaya, Kuala Selangor was badly hit by floods in December 2021. Most houses were submerged in flood water and the villagers were transferred to relief centres. Household furniture, electrical appliances, clothing, etc were damaged including motorcycles and automobiles.

Consolation Prize 2

A flood named “Timber Tsunami” struck a tranquil and simple village at Kampung Baru Sg. Perdak, Bentong District in Pahang, leaving the village with a scene of devastation. After the disaster, the village was a mess. Apart from the thick mud, tree trunks were scattered everywhere. The houses were ruined. There were only 5-6 houses in liveable condition after being cleaned up, and the remaining houses’ structures are destroyed by the massive flood.

Consolation Prize 3

Under the double blow of the epidemic and the flood, people still maintain a warm heart to help. They helped the elderly lady get off the boat and attached a chair to keep her from falling. They love to help others and let us see the kindness and advantages of human nature.

Consolation Prize 4

Photos were taken during the 2015 Kelantan flood relief. It was the worst flood in so long and it hit Manek Urai badly. People are helpless as they don’t know how and where to start to rebuild their homes. NGOs and governments were stepping in to provide aid. It was good to see Malaysia come together to provide helping hands.

Consolation Prize 5

In 2021, there was a flood in Kota Tinggi Johor. The flood caused many residents to lose their money and home. So the flood is a thing that people are terrified of. The picture shows a boat with a man and four dogs. The man escapes from home with his lovely pets. So this man can survive this flood with his pets.

Consolation Prize 6

In 2021, there was a flood in Kota Tinggi Johor. The flood caused many residents to lose their money and home. So the flood is a thing that people are terrified of. The picture shows a volunteer helping an old man.

Consolation Prize 7

Life finds a way – Seeks to protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, halt and reverse land degradation, combat desertification and stop biodiversity loss. We can all do our part to fight biodiversity loss on a personal level. How? By prioritising sustainable mobility and sustainable food, responsible consumption and recycling practices, reducing the small actions that pollute, helping to raise awareness of the smallest actions through environmental education, and ultimately supporting any action aimed at protecting biodiversity.

Consolation Prize 8

A flood named “Timber Tsunami” struck a tranquil and simple village at Kampung Baru Sg. Perdak, Bentong District in Pahang, leaving the village with a scene of devastation. After the disaster, the village was a mess. Apart from the thick mud, tree trunks were scattered everywhere. The houses were ruined. There were only 5-6 houses in liveable condition after being cleaned up, and the remaining houses’ structures are destroyed by the massive flood.

Consolation Prize 9

A flood named “Timber Tsunami” struck a tranquil and simple village at Kampung Baru Sg. Perdak, Bentong District in Pahang, leaving the village with a scene of devastation. After the disaster, the village was a mess. Apart from the thick mud, tree trunks were scattered everywhere. The houses were ruined. There were only 5-6 houses in liveable condition after being cleaned up, and the remaining houses’ structures are destroyed by the massive flood.

Consolation Prize 10

A flood named “Timber Tsunami” struck a tranquil and simple village at Kampung Baru Sg. Perdak, Bentong District in Pahang, leaving the village with a scene of devastation. After the disaster, the village was a mess. Apart from the thick mud, tree trunks were scattered everywhere. The houses were ruined. There were only 5-6 houses in liveable condition after being cleaned up, and the remaining houses’ structures are destroyed by the massive flood.

Consolation Prize 11

Longgokan barang hanyut termasuk sebuah kereta yang terbalik di Bentong.

A pile of drifted goods including a turned turtle car in Bentong.

Consolation Prize 12

Seorang mangsa banjir di Sri Muda sedang menunggu bantuan banjir oleh pihak berkuasa.

A flood victim in Sri Muda is waiting for help from the authorities.

Consolation Prize 13

The photo was taken at 2am, using a film camera. We have done everything we could to minimise the impact of the flood, like moving things up and blocking the door gap. But in the end, we can only witness the water slowly flowing in and rising up through our kitchen.

Consolation Prize 14

Kesan daripada banjir yang disebabkan lebih dari 5 kepala air kebanyakannya berpunca dari kawasan Sungai Lui. Kerosakan dan kemusnahan harta benda yang sangat teruk dialami oleh penduduk sekitar Sungai Lui ke kawasan Sungai Serai.

Consolation Prize 15

People of all races were rescuing the flooded black sedan. Everyone worked together to push the car to escape the flood. Even though it was challenging, everyone still did not give up on saving the car from the flood.

Consolation Prize 16

This is the first flood in Subang Jaya USJ 1 beside the Klang River. After the flood there is a big cleaning job, and the whole office is full of water.

Consolation Prize 17

The village Of Asahan near Bestari Jaya, Kuala Selangor was badly hit by floods in December 2021. Most houses were submerged in flood water and the villagers were transferred to relief centres. Household furniture, electrical appliances, clothing etc. were damaged including motorcycles and automobiles.

Consolation Prize 18

Antara barang-barang yang tidak dapat diselamatkan termasuklah 1 set kamera di Bentong.

Among the items that could not be rescued included a set of cameras in Bentong.

Consolation Prize 19

The bridge connecting the river Benus has been destroyed by the excessive debris flood in January 2022. The photo shows the local has constructed a temporary bamboo bridge for transporting the fruits.

Consolation Prize 20

Photos were taken during the 2015 Kelantan flood relief. It was the worst flood after so long and it hit Manek Urai badly. People are helpless as they don’t know how and where to start to rebuild their homes. NGOs and governments were stepping in to provide aid. It was good to see Malaysia come together to provide helping hands.

Consolation Prize 21

The flooded areas include Jenderam Hilir, Kampung Sungai Buah, and Dengkil, while several other areas around Labu Lanjut have been flooded.

Consolation Prize 22

In 2021, there was a flood in Kota Tinggi Johor. The flood caused many residents to lose their money and home. So the flood is a thing that people are terrified of. The picture shows a boat with a lot of passengers. The passengers are escaping from home, because their home is already full of water.

Consolation Prize 23

(Chang Chia Shin)

Consolation Prize 24

(Chang Chia Shin)

Consolation Prize 25

The balance between development and preservation of the environment is always the issue. Any life or wealth might be overwhelmed by the disaster. Never underestimate the power of nature.

Consolation Prize 26

The heavy rain and the high tide of the river caused the flooding. Floodwaters and occupants hit. Homes were trapped inside. Fortunately, the rescue of the ship allowed everyone to leave safely. Cyclists were protected like bodyguards. They protect the elderly and young children.

Consolation Prize 27

Photos were taken during the 2015 Kelantan flood relief. It was the worst flood after so long and it hit Manek Urai badly. People are helpless as they don’t know how and where to start to rebuild their homes. NGOs and governments were stepping in to provide aid. It was good to see Malaysia come together to provide helping hands.

Consolation Prize 28

Consolation Prize 29

Double hazard, floods, and the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was raining non-stop for a week, causing the water in Sungai Johor to overflow. Kota Tinggi is inevitably hit by the flood. A few residential areas in Kota Tinggi had been submerged in the flood. Tan Fu Rong in Taman Kuso is a flood victim, who is also a patient with chronic diseases. He was rescued by the rescue team and evacuated to a safe place.

This sudden flood happened without warning while the threats of Covid-19 were not yet overcome. The victims had to self-test for Covid-19. Only if the test result was negative, they were allowed to stay at the flood evacuation centre. With the help and love of all people,  the problems faced by the flood victims were solved.

Consolation Prize 30

The flood disaster that hit Taman Sri Nanding in this district also produced piles of bulk garbage, after the residents started cleaning their homes again.