Khoo: Remove plugs during heavy thunderstorms

JOHOR BARU: Tebrau MP Khoo Soo Seang has appealed to residents in this area to make sure all their appliances were not just switched off but also the plugs removed due to the current stormy weather.

He said the storms these days were bad and lightning strikes could even start fires and damage electrical appliances in people’s homes.

”During the April 14 thunderstorm, several houses were damaged and the top floor of a school block was razed after being hit by lightning,” he said, adding that the electricity at his own house had tripped during the storm, which usually occurred in the afternoons.

During the two-hour thunderstorm, traffic was brought to a standstill in many parts of the city.

The lightning also caused several cases of fire including at SK Kangkar Tebrau and affected several houses in Taman Daya and Kg Mohd Amin.

Several trees were also uprooted.

Khoo also appealed to about 200 residents in Kg Ubi to be alert whenever it rained because their village was still flood-prone.

“Usually after a downpour, the water levels will usually rise up to three feet,” he said, adding that most of the residents were locals doing odd jobs.

He hoped the flood mitigation works in the area would be done to prevent the recurrence of flash floods in the area.

On floods in other parts of his area, Khoo added that due to recent flood mitigation works by the government, it had helped to prevent flash floods in the Ulu Tiram area.