PENANG, PERAK AND KEDAH
5TH TIME: Residents frustrated, furious over state govt’s inability to resolve problem
TORRENTIAL rain, which lashed Penang for five hours in the wee hours yesterday, triggered flash floods in villages, making it the fifth time in three weeks that the wet spell has left hundreds of people devastated.
The affected areas were Jalan P. Ramlee, Kampung Makam and Kampung Dodol, which are located near Sungai Pinang on the island.
On the mainland, houses next to Sungai Prai, Sungai Mak Mandin, Sungai Lokan, Sungai Alor Merah, Sungai Bagan Lalang and Sungai Nyior were hit.
Places hit included SJK (T) Mak Mandin and 15 shophouses in Taman Lumbungan near Sungai Nyior.
An access road near a highway intersection was cut off at Sungai Dua and Permatang Pauh, off the North-South Expressway.
Although there was no evacuation and the water receded by 7am, the endless wrath of Mother Nature had escalated the plight of residents.
Rosnah Duraji, 44, from Lintang P. Ramlee here, which was the worst hit, said floodwaters reached waist level.
“I am fed up. The state government is not taking action but is resorting to blame game. Where is the solution?”
Rahmattullah Abd Majid, 43, also from Lintang P. Ramlee, said the water receded at 4am.
“My house was flooded in kneedeep water.”
R. Indirani, 61, who lives near Lintang P. Ramlee, said her property was inundated at 2am.
“The floodwaters jolted us from our sleep. It rose above our ankles.”
Checks by the New Straits Times found that clean-up operations were underway. Residents spent half the day cleaning up layers of mud inside their houses and compounds.
Part of the parking area at the popular tourist attraction P. Ramlee House, located at Sungai Pinang, was also inundated with floodwaters. However, all the historical exhibits were safe.
In Ipoh, Perak, a two-hour downpour, which started at 4am yesterday, caused flash floods in Gerik, Lenggong and Batu Gajah. However, no evacuation centres were opened.
A Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said in Gerik, waters rose as high as 1.2m in five areas — Kampung Air Sudah, Kampung Ramasamy, Pasar Awam Gerik, Jalan Takong Datok and Kampung Padang.
He said the department used a boat to evacuate a victim trapped in the market. The spokesman said in Lenggong, a house in Kampung Beng was in 0.5m of floodwaters, which subsided by 7am.
“In Batu Gajah, traffic congestion was reported after water overflowed on to the main road at Tanjung Tualang. But the situation was under control.” Additional reporting by Nabilah Hamuddin