News: Tuesday’s downpour wreaks havoc in villages near Batu Caves
The Star, 29 Nov 2012
DOWNPOURS in the evenings are causing floods in the Batu Caves area.
Among the villages inundated were Kampung Nakhoda, Kampung Laksamana, Kampung Sungai Tua Gantian, Kampung Sungai Kertas dan Kampung Ulu Yam Bharu.
The floods occurred when Sungai Udang broke its banks after more than an hour of heavy rain on Tuesday, resulting in more than 100 houses being affected.
One of the residents, Mahmad Ismail, 62, said the floodwater rose very quickly near his house in Kampung Laksamana.
“My family and I did not have much time to save all our belongings,” he said.
Mahmad, who is also Kampung Laksamana village head, said he lost about RM50,000 in perishable items bought for his son’s wedding on Dec 1.
Meanwhile, student Norfarhanna Md Zain, 22, said this was the worst flood to hit her village in Kampung Sungai Kertas in three years.
“The water only rose to about ankle length at my house but it rose to chest-high levels in other areas closer to the river,” she said.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Mohd Sani Harul said two fire engines and a boat from the Selayang fire station were dispatched to the scene.
Several trees were also uprooted during the two-hour downpour in several parts of Kuala Lumpur.
The areas affected included Kampung Baru in Jalan Raja Abdullah and Taman Midah in Cheras (next to the MRR2 highway).
A spokesman from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) emergency unit said they rushed to the scene after receiving complaints from motorists.
The downpour also caused flash floods at the Cheras underpass, heading towards Bandar Tun Razak, and resulted in a massive traffic jam,
A stalled car had to be removed by DBKL’s emergency unit personnel.
Meanwhile, Bernama reported that several flood victims in Kampung Sungai Kertas Selayang did not expect the downpour to result in flash floods which damaged their properties.
In fact, the flood was the worst faced by residents in the area.
Megat Zakaria, 36, said the water reached waist-level swiftly, leaving them no time to salvage their cars and furniture.
“It was the worst flood since I moved into the village about 25 years ago,” he said when met at his house.
Another resident, Azrin Mat Rasul, 35, said the mudslide caused by the floods destroyed his two motorcycles and other household items.
He estimated his losses at RM20,000.
Mohd Sani said 10 people from Kampung Sungai Tua Tambahan and 20 from Kampung Laksamana were evacuated.
He said a surau in Kampung Laksamana was turned into a relief centre for victims from Kampung Nakhoda, Kampung Laksamana, Kampung Sungai Kertas, Kampung Sungai Tua Tambahan and Ulu Yam Bahru.
Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2012/11/29/central/12383074&sec=central
