1. Introduction
The rapid urbanization process in many developing countries have exacerbated processes of
environmental degradation and contributed to disasters such as flooding. Malaysia is facing the same
problem with many of its river-lined communities. This is due to the brisk growth of its many urban
centres resulting in environmental problems together with built-up of impermeable surface areas for
residential, commercial and industrial purposes. The indiscriminate dumping of garbage into rivers made
the matter worse as it affects their handling capacity. Malaysia must address this issue immediately as 75
percent of its population expects to live in urban areas by the year 2020 (Federal Department of Town and
Country Planning, 2010). The goal of this study is to explore how the flood-affected communities use
their community-based network or community-based organisation (CBO) in dealing with their