The basements of some shopping malls along Orchard Road were flooded, damaging some of the retailers' goods. -- PHOTO: ABDUL SALIM HARUN
SHOPS and homes along Orchard Road, Bukit Timah and Thomson Road were flooded on Wednesday morning as heavy rains swelled up canals around the central areas of Singapore. Within two hours of rainfall, the deluge submerged roads and spilled into retail areas and private homes.
In some areas, the flood waters rose to half a metre, fully covering open drains, sidewalks and bus stops, creating traffic chaos, especially along Dunearn Road towards the city.
The basements of some shopping malls along Orchard Road were flooded, damaging some of the retailers' goods. Over at Cluny Court's basement, the flood waters were knee-high, forcing the evacuation of about 15 cars parked there. Workers were sent in with generators and long pipes to pump out the water.
It was deja vu for shops at the basement of Lucky Plaza, which had been affected by floods almost every year. Besides damage to their goods, several shops at the mall also suffered electricity trips. Over at Liat Towers, staff at newly opened fast food outlet Wendy's had to evacuate its patrons during breakfast as water streamed in rapidly, rising to almost waist high. But nobody was injured.
The floods also kept away customers. Da Paolo Gastronomia in Cluny Court, which is usually packed with 50 customers each morning, was empty till almost noon. The idle staff were seen snapping the flood scenes and cars crawling through the rising waters with their mobile phones.
Cold and wet commuters waiting for buses huddled on seats at bus stops, some watching in bemusement, others worrying about being late for their appointments, as trash, broken tree branches and streams of dead leaves bobbed along the dirt-red swirl of water at their feet.
Most of those spoken to by The Straits Times wanted to know what had caused the sudden and intense flooding. Said housewife Shama Bano Khan, whose family's two-storey bungalow and three-storey apartment at the junction of Suffolk Road and Thomson Road had water reaching the doorsteps: 'We have lived here for 15 years and have never seen anything like this.
'The flood was so sudden and turned our front porch into a pool. The waters covered the open drains which is dangerous, especially for children. I hope the authorities do something about this soon.'
SCDF officers were out in force. They helped free 10 people trapped in six vehicles and also evacuate 60 passengers from two double-decker buses stuck in flood waters.
