Fireman using an electric saw to saw the uprooted tree which fell on five cars along Lengkok Nipah near Lip Sin Garden, Bayan Lepas, Penang yesterday. WAN MOHIZAN WAN HUSSEIN / The Star/18 Sept 2016
AN EARLY morning downpour that lasted four hours uprooted trees and caused flash floods in several areas of Penang.
It started raining heavily from 7am, and those living in flood-prone areas were in jitters.
In Jalan P. Ramlee where waters were knee-high by 10am, heavy vehicles and 4WDs ploughed through but some drivers found themselves stuck on the flooded road in their attempt to drive through.
Residents nearby assisted a male driver and helped him push his Proton Iswara out of the flooded road at 10.30am.
For many of those familiar with what would happen whenever there is a downpour, takingprecautions and being ready for rising waters is the norm.
Wan Faridulhadi Mohamed Yusof, 41, said he and his family acted the moment it started to rain.
“We quickly moved our cars to higher ground when the heavy rain started.”
The lawyer was spared the worse as he had elevated his home from lessons learnt.
When the waters receded, Wan Faridulhadi was helping his neighbours Syed Hussein Syed Ismail, 25, and Shamil Teh Sharifuddin, 30, clear the muddy mess.
Fire and Rescue Department personnel were also out and about clearing fallen trees blocking roads at several residential areas when the rain stopped.
Seri Delima assemblyman R.S.N. Rayer shared photos on his Facebook page of trees being cleared at Crystal Heights, Taman Tembaga Island Park and Jalan Gangsa.
He applauded all those were present to aid the situation including personnel from the Penang Island City Council and the Public Works Department.
In Jalan Perak, resident Lim Saw Cheng and her five family members were thankful to escape without injuries when a century-old tree fell on her house at 8am.
The tree crashed onto her house, gate and squashed her nephew’s car.
“My nephew and I were going out in our cars but after I reversed my car out of my porch, I saw the tree coming down and my nephew was lucky enough to get out of his car before the tree impacted it.”
In Bayan Lepas, a large tree was also uprooted in Lengkok Nipah near Lip Sin Garden and fell on five cars.
The Batu Maung Voluntary Fire squad rushed to the scene and found the damaged vehicles with squad leader Chew Hee Theng describing it as “one of the worst damage caused by heavy rain in the area this year”.
Penang Island City Council Corporate Department director Mohamed Akbar Mustapha said branches broke and trees fell at 12 locations.
“Our workers were dispatched to clean up the mess in Jalan Hargreaves, Jalan Perak, Taman Hijau, Jalan Udini, Flat Nusantara in Lintang Sungai Pinang, Taman Besi, in front of Caltex petrol station in Greenlane, Jalan Masjid Negeri, Jalan Gangsa, Jalan Lip Sin, Jalan Bukit Kukus and Jalan Bell.
“Our MBPP Urban Services workers were also sent to Jalan P. Ramlee and Jalan Langkawi to help clean up the area,” he said.
In Butterworth, market-goers and traders at the Mak Mandin market complex and the vicinity found themselves in knee-deep waters.
Fried noodles seller Lim Chew Kuang, 34, said he was shocked to see the water level at knee-height.
“Usually during heavy rain, there will be a lot of water on the road, sometimes few inches deep, but it usually subsides quickly after the rain stops.
“This is the first time we are experiencing such bad floods it doesn’t seem to be abating,” he said.
A resident who lives at a flat nearby, A. Aruppan, 48, a technician, said he moved his motorcycle to higher ground when neighbours raised the alarm.
“It was early in the morning and I was still in bed when I heardpeople calling out to warn about the floods.
Several houses in low-lying areas near Sungai Maklom and Parit Hogen area in north Seberang Prai district were also inundated with about 0.1 to 0.2 metres of water.
Other places affected were Taman Pauh and Jalan Baru in Bukit Mertajam, where roofs of some kampung houses were ripped off, and fallen trees were reported in Taman Impian, Bukit Mertajam.
The rain, however, did not dampen everyone’s spirits, and some sports events and Sunday activities went ahead in George Town.
Old Frees’ Association Penang carried on with its ‘Ride Towards PFS 200’ motorcycle convoy around the island which was flagged off at the association premises in Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah.
The event to commemorate Penang Free School’s (PFS) bicentenary had 100 participants taking part.
Penang 100 Ultra marathon participants were braving the drizzle in Farquhar Street while heading for the finish line at the Esplanade.
The runners of the 50km Ultra started their race at 3am whereas the 84km Round Island and 100km Challenge categories were flagged off at 9pm on Saturday.
Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) director Sabri Abdul Mulok said flooding in Sungai Pinang could be a thing of the past through an extensive flood mitigation project.
He said the “total solution” would include the deepening and widening of Sungai Pinang along with a floodwall to prevent spill-over.
“There is ongoing Sungai Pinang maintenance work carried out but it is a small-scale mitigation effort by the state government.
“Sungai Jelutong and Sungai Air Terjun, through Sungai Air Itam, are connected to the Sungai Pinang as it is one of the main rivers with the same catchments.
“When the water overflows at Sungai Pinang before it can be completely channelled out to the sea, drainage at other rivers would also be affected similarly.
“This will cause several low-lying kampungs, such as Kampung Makam, to be flooded as the ground level is lower than theriver’s water level,” he said.
“The comprehensive mitigation project can end all this but it costs RM654mil and we need this grant from the Federal Government.
“With this funds we can have a total solution to flooding in Sungai Pinang.”
Photos by WAN MOHIZAN WAN HUSSEIN, ZAINUDIN AHAD, ASRI ABDUL GHANI, GAR Y CHEN and GEORGE CHEAH
