FROM SCORCHING HEAT WITHOUT RAIN TO FLASH FLOODS

It was scorching heat in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur about two to three weeks ago with temperatures hitting 37 degrees. with no rain for 10 days, the water level in dams approaching critical levels, with fears that we would have to suffer water rationing again - all due to the especially severe El Nino effect in the Pacific Ocean this year.

Then the rains came regularly in the evenings last week and this week and today, Thursday 12th May 2016, there are flash floods on roads in Kuala Lumpur, following a prolonged downpour which is still going right now.

As they say, "When it rains, it pours".

The Star reports:-

Over 100 vehicles trapped in Klang Valley flash floods - Nation | The Star Online

by tan yi liang

Motorists stuck in the traffic after the flash floods in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim. - AZMAN GHANI / The Star


PETALING JAYA: Flash floods hit several key roads in Kuala Lumpur causing vehicles to be trapped following a downpour on Thursday evening.   

In a series of photos posted on Twitter by Bernama, four roads were affected as of 8.48pm.  

The four roads are Jalan Pantai Bahru, Jalan Semantan, Jalan Bangsar and Jalan Pudu in front of the Tung Shin Hospital, according to photos taken from the Fire and Rescue Department.   

Additionally, in a media alert, the Fire and Rescue Department said that crews were dispatched to two locations in Kuala Lumpur after emergency calls were made by people trapped in the floods.  

It said that 20 firemen were sent at 7.26pm to a location in front of Duta Vista in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim where 100 vehicles were trapped along the road towards Damansara and Kuala Lumpur, forcing motorists to leave their vehicles.  

It added that another 13 Fire and Rescue Department personnel were sent to the Jalan Lingkungan Budi gate of Universiti Malaya at 7.58pm as 15 cars were stranded in flash floods and strong currents.   

"11 people were rescued including a woman who was having breathing difficulties," said the Fire and Rescue Department. 

The flash floods are not the first to hit the Klang Valley this week, with flooding reported in Shah Alam on Tuesday.   

According to Star Radio Traffic, the flash floods hit two locations along Persiaran Kayangan.   

The two spots were near the Concorde Hotel and the Darul Ehsan Aquatic Centre.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/05/12/flash-floods-hit-klang-valley

Charles F. Moreira