After months of a dry spell with little rainfall, residents in several low-lying areas here were hit by a storm that led to floods, landslides and uprooted trees. The victims found themselves struggling against waist-high floodwaters.

In the case of 80-year-old Abdul Razak Mydin, he said he was woken at 4.30am by a “thunderous” sound that shook his house, and he went into his kitchen to investigate.

“Mud and water were seeping through the backdoor and to my shock, a few windowpanes had been shattered. All I saw outside was earth and stones. My back wall was sagging inwards.

“I alerted both my daughters and we called the Fire and Rescue Department,” he added.

A retaining wall of the slope behind his house had given way, sending earth and debris crashing down to the back of his house.

Two other homes alongside his had suffered the same fate.

The six hours of rain from 3am yesterday left a trail of destruction in low-lying areas.

Meteorological satellite photos showed that the massive storm cloud system that struck yesterday had blanketed Penang, Kedah, Perlis and stretched across southern Thailand until Haadyai, more than 220km from Penang.

Floods in low-lying areas throughout Kedah and Perlis were also reported.

The Meteorological Department issued an alert yesterday morning of a strong wind from the west, heavy with moisture from the Indian Ocean, blowing towards the northern states until Wednesday.

According to the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre’s website, this wind may blow at speeds of up to 30 knots (55kph).

This is expected to bring thunderstorms and strong winds to the northern states, while Kelantan and Terengganu may also be affected in the evening and night.

A maritime warning of rough seas on the northern end of the Strait of Malacca has also been issued until Wednesday.

In the densely packed neighbourhood of Jalan P. Ramlee, dozens of houses were flooded and residents were seen dragging out their furniture, including mattresses and sofas.

Resident Wan Mohd Nor Azri, 37, said this was the worst flood he had gone through.

“We are used to flooding but we didn’t expect this to happen while celebrating Hari Raya Haji. All that we had spent to furnish the house is damaged,” he said.

Syed Mohamed Karim, 55, said that by 6am, the water had risen up to his waist.

“We tried our best to seal the house against the floodwater.

“It happened so fast that we couldn’t save our electrical appliances.

“Hopefully there will be long-term solutions to improve drainage in the area to prevent future flooding,” he added.

Flash floods also hit areas such as Bayan Baru, Teluk Bahang and Batu Ferringhi.

“A total of 17 houses in Kampung Kubur were inundated after floodwaters reached waist level. About 30 villagers were affected,” said state environment committee chairman Phee Boon Poh, adding that no evacuation centres were activated as the floods subsided after the rain stopped.

A landslide was also reported along a 30m stretch of the narrow, colonial day road from Balik Pulau to Batu Ferringhi.

One part of the road collapsed downslope and half of the two-lane road at the stretch has been closed.

Source:
courtesy of THE STAR

by LO TERN CHERN

If you have any stories or news that you would like to share with the global online community, please feel free to share it with us by contacting us directly at [email protected]