Rain and high tide cause floods in Johor Supermoon effect to worsen things

JOHOR BARU: Three districts in Johor have been hit by flash floods caused by heavy downpour and high tide.

The areas affected are Jalan Skudai here, Pontian Trade Centre and Pantai Punggor in Batu Pahat.

Johor Civil Defence Department director Colonel Mat Zin Bujang said heavy rain that coincided with the high tide triggered yesterday’s flash floods.

He said the rains came around 9.45am while the high tide followed some 15 minutes later.

“Water started to rise at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Jalan Skudai at around 10.30am but receded at around 12.25pm due to low tide,” Col Mat Zin said. “No one was injured.”

He pointed out that the tide levels at Pantai Punggor was at 3.2m.

“The department placed several personnel at known high tide hotspots around Johor due to the supermoon phenomena.

“We will continue to monitor the coastlines over the next few days due to the current rainy season and high tide,” he said.

The supermoon phenomena is expected to cause water levels to rise up to 3.2m tomorrow and on Thursday due to the gravity pull between the moon and the Earth.

In Taiping, flash floods were reported in various parts of the town and nearby Aulong and Pokok Assam after an hour-long downpour.

Several vehicles were submerged in 0.3m high floodwaters at a carpark in Barrack Road while others were damaged by fallen trees. Some 1,000 homes were affected.

In Klang, residents of Kampung Sementa residents in Kapar here were relieved their homes were spared during the high tide phenomenon.

The repaired bund in Sungai Keramat stopped the waters from overflowing into the village which is situated right next to the river.

“I stayed up late last night to keep watch. The water level rose on the other side of the bund at about 5am and only a small amount of water overflowed into Sungai Keramat at around 6am.

“Thank God the bund worked,” said resident Rozita Bahar when met at her home yesterday.

The 47-year-old janitor said that her mother, daughter and a few other siblings living nearby would continue to stay put at their houses as higher tides were expected over the next two days.

“There is still so much to clean, clear and rearrange in the house following the flooding last month.

“We really hope there will be no more flash floods in the area after this,” she added.

Jariah Md Saleh, 64, from Kampung Tok Muda, another high risk area in Kapar, was also relieved that her home was not affected.

“However, some neighbours and I are seeking temporary shelter at the evacuation centre. Let’s see what happens over the next few days,” she said.

Information from the National Hydrogra­phic Centre in Port Klang said the tide was recorded at 5.5m at 5.27am yesterday.

It is expected to rise to 5.6m today and tomorrow.

Selangor Disaster Management Committee Sementa coordinator Mohd Azmi Mat Sangir said that as of 3pm, four evacuation centres had been activated in the state and two of them were not occupied.

Meanwhile, state infrastructure and public facilities exco Zaidy Abdul Talib said portions of the bund in Sungai Air Tawar and Tebuk Mendeling in Sabak Bernam gave way again yesterday morning, flooding parts of the ground floor.

“Officers from the Irrigation and Drainage Department are building smaller bunds to prevent water at the burrow pit from seeping into the nearby low-cost housing area” he said.