Floodwaters Rose To Waist Level In Just 15 Minutes - Victim
IPOH, Feb 17 (Bernama) -- "The floodwater rose so rapidly that in just 15 minutes, it had reached waist level,” said victim Azad Ashraf Hawari.
The 31-year-old, who takes care of the poor and orphan children of Nurul Imam in Manjoi, said the authorities told residents to continue to be on the alert for fear of a similar incident following the forecast by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) of thunderstorms later today.
"The floodwater rose within 15 minutes, and this Loronng Datuk was already inundated… some didn't even have time to save their cars, while many items were damaged.
"However, with the help of the fire department, we managed to rescue our neighbour's children, as well as about 20 orphans here and the elderly,” he said.
Meanwhile, 59-year-old Raihan Anwar said the deluge this time was different, as water overflowed into the front and back parts of the residential area simultaneously, resulting in the water levels rising swiftly.
"In my 30 years living here, this is the first time such a major flood has occurred.
"This is an unexpected situation, as it only rained for a short period, unlike a few days ago when there was a thunderstorm, but the area was not flooded,” he said.
Yesterday, about 26 people from 10 families were temporarily placed at the Al-Ghufron Mosque in Manjoi after their residences in Kampung Manjoi and Kampung Tengku Hussein were inundated.
However, no temporary relief centres have been opened so far.
Meanwhile, Perak Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (Operations) Sabarodzi Nor Ahmad said they are constantly monitoring areas expected to be hit by floods following MetMalaysia's forecast of thunderstorms in Perak this evening.
"This is not the second wave (of floods). If we look at the weather forecast, there may be a thunderstorm today. So, we can only guess and ask the people to be prepared.
"We are just worried about the possibility of another flash flood, like yesterday,” he said.
-- BERNAMA
