Water woes: Zamri (right) and his neighbour trying to remove water from his motorcycle’s exhaust pipe. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
JOHOR BARU: High tide and a continuous two-day rain may have contributed to flooding in areas that do not usually experience such a natural disaster, said the Fire and Rescue Department.
Its Johor director Siti Rohani Nadir said although the recent floods mostly hit areas prone to flooding, there were a number of places that were inundated for the first time.
“The continuous rainy days, coupled with high tide, have caused the water to rise rapidly in certain places, including those that have never been flooded before. Most of them are located near flood-prone areas.
“It’s within the same general area but maybe they are a village or neighbourhood nearby that had never been hit before,” she told The Star.
“The flood was unexpected as we are now at the end of the northeast monsoon period and will be moving to the transition period on March 24.
“Although the Malaysian Meteorological Department predicted that the continuous rain would end by March 21 and water has been receding in most places, we are still on high alert in case of a second wave,” she said.
Siti Rohani reminded the public, including those planning to return to their hometowns for Hari Raya Aidilfitri, to keep themselves updated with weather and road conditions.
Among the first-time flood victims was e-hailing driver Zahari Hamzah, 40, who was in the midst of sending a passenger when he received a call about the flood.
“I was shocked when my neighbour told me about it. I have lived here for over a decade and this has never happened before.
“There are some flood-prone villages and housing areas nearby, but this place in particular has never seen such a situation,” he said when met at the Desa Mutiara People’s Housing Project.
The ground floor resident said his 78-year-old mother was sleeping alone at home when water began seeping in.
“Thankfully, my neighbours managed to wake her up after banging on the door.
“We did not manage to get most of our stuff. I am unsure if my fridge and other electrical appliances are working as the electricity has yet to be restored,” he said.
Civil servant Zamri Zainol, 32, said he was unable to save important documents and his motorcycle.
“Although it has been raining for two days, we never thought of packing our stuff or making any preparation as this place has never been flooded before,” he said.
