Flash floods hit North
> Torrential storm causes standstill traffic, affects Wesak Day prayers
GEORGE TOWN: A torrential rainstorm lashed Penang on Monday night, causing flash floods and felling trees.
Traffic was brought to a standstill on the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway at midnight as the route to the Penang Bridge was blocked by debris.
Several areas in Bukit Mertajam, Butterworth, Tanjong Tokong and George Town, including the flood-prone Jalan P. Ramlee, were inundated.
A total of 23 areas in Bukit Mertajam and eight residential zones in Butterworth were hit by floodwaters around 2am.
The floods hampered preparations for Wesak Day yesterday when prayers and a procession were scheduled for the night.
At Batu Maung, newly elected assemblyman Datuk Abdul Halim Hussein confirmed via text message that his constituency was affected. He had visited two families whose homes saw rooftops damaged by strong winds.
Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim Chee Keong said state executive councillor Zairil Khir Johari, who is in charge of flood mitigation projects, will visit the area later in the day to inspect damages.
By 10am floodwaters subsided in most areas, and there were no reported cases of evacuation.
Penang was hit hard by an unusual lengthy rain spell last November, causing record-breaking levels of rain and floods to overwhelm the state.
Penang Forum member Anil Netto said the state needs to also be mindful of the climate change patterns besides protecting the environment from excessive development.
Meanwhile in KULIM, a 76-year old retired army man and his daughter drowned in flash floods near Sungai Kob here early yesterday.
The deceased were identified as Johari Bakar, and his daughter Nor Sari Danila Johari, 14.
A spokesman from the Kulim Hi-Tech Park Fire and Rescue Department said the two victims were swept away by floodwaters while attempting to move their car to higher ground.
He said they were alerted for help at around midnight.
“The teenager was found among the bushes downstream, about 1.5km from her house at about 7.45am.
“Her father’s body was found in the river behind Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Kob at about 10am,” he said.
It was reported that Kulim district police chief Supt Nasir Jaafar said the case had been classified as sudden death and the bodies of the victims were sent to the Kulim Hospital for post-mortem.