High tide in Klang forces evacuation

Avoiding further damage: Villagers lifting a motorcycle to higher ground at Kampung Sementa, Batu 5 in Kapar.

KLANG: The entire Kampung Sementa at Batu 5 in Jalan Kapar here is off-limits after it was inundated by a second round of flooding brought on by high tide.

The first flood hit at dawn on Sunday when a portion of the bund collapsed, flooding more than 10 houses and damaging eight cars.

A broken river bund in Sungai Keramat, next to the village, compounded the situation yesterday morning. The tide was 5.7m high at 6.35am.

A earlier check by The Star found that the water was still rising at about 5.50am yesterday.

Sounds of the river water gushing in through the broken bund could be heard some 100m away.

By 6am, Jalan Kebun Baru, one of the main roads to the village was only accessible by four-wheel drives or bigger vehicles.

Fifteen minutes later, firemen stationed at the village ordered the villagers to evacuate the place, as the flood waters rose quickly.

The waters only began to recede at 7.30am.

Halim Bahar, 38, who waded through the flood waters to check on his home, said the water level rose up to his waist.

While the adults showed concern, youngsters were seen playing in the flood waters.

“Villagers at Batu 5 were told to evacuate due to safety concerns after the bund broke,” said Selangor Disaster Management Committee chairman Ahmad Fairuz Mohd Yusof.

“As for Kampung Tok Muda in Kapar, seawater overflowed at four spots this morning,” he said yesterday. “However, no houses or roads were flooded,” he added.

“Sand bags placed near the jetty successfully prevented the river from overflowing.”

In Sabak Bernam, seven coastal areas were inundated. The situation was the same at Pantai Remis and Sungai Sembilang in Kuala Selangor and the beach areas in Pantai Kelanang and Morib in Kuala Langat.

However, no major damage was recorded.

As at 1pm, 26 evacuation centres were activated in the state with 92 families being displaced.

The Dewan Kg Tok Muda evacuation centre in Kapar here recorded the most number of evacuees with 236 victims. This was followed by 63 people in Dewan Sg Air Tawar in Sabak Bernam and 60 others in Dewan Dewan Dato Ahmad Razali here.