25 locations in Johor hit by flash floods after two-hour rain
Sign up now: Get insights on the biggest stories in Malaysia
A man stands in waist-high water outside his house in Kampung Mohd Amin after a flash flood due to a two-hour thunderstorm.
PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Follow topic:
JOHOR BAHRU - A two-hour thunderstorm on Dec 6 caused 25 locations in Johor to be hit by flash floods, causing many residents to flee from floodwaters.
Mr Muhammad Ikram Md Rashid, 24, was resting at his rented house in Jalan Mas in Taman Kolam Ayer when he heard a loud bang on the front door.
“It was raining heavily and I wanted to rest after returning from work in Singapore. The noise startled me, and when I looked through the window, I saw water was already at chest level,” he said.
He screamed for help and said he was lucky that a neighbour heard him.
“He broke down the front door (of the house) to rescue me,” said Mr Muhammad Ikram.
Another resident in the same neighbourhood, Mr Joshua Abraham, 29, said he and his housemates had no choice but to tear open the roof of their house to pull one of their friends to safety.
“It just happened so fast. I was not able to bring along my clothes or my passport, which I need because I work in Singapore,” he said.
Mr Abraham, who is from Kuala Lumpur, said he was also unable to move his motorcycle and car away from the floodwaters.
A Johor Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson said 20 firemen in two boats from the Larkin station were deployed to Kampung Mohd Amin, another area hit by floods.
The spokesperson said they were called to rescue 46 victims, including 38 tahfiz schoolchildren and a wheelchair-bound elderly person who were stuck inside a flood-hit house.
“The victims are seeking shelter at a house located on higher ground,” he said, adding that they were also monitoring the river level at several locations.
A Johor Bahru City Council spokesman said its Skuad Kilat response team was deployed upon receiving reports about rising floodwaters in various areas since 2pm.
“As at 3.40pm, 25 locations within Johor Bahru were hit by flash floods but the water has receded in some places,” he added.
Some Singapore-registered cars were also caught in the flash flood.
The council’s enforcement unit said it helped remove cars stuck along Jalan Ayer Molek in the city. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
