PETALING JAYA: Heavy rains that started early yesterday filled residents, still reeling from the recent floods that had plagued areas in Klang Valley, with a sense of dread.
The short respite that came from two days of sunny weather brought some hope. Yesterday’s rain, however, shattered the mood and fears of more floods took hold.
Yesterday morning the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) issued rain warnings on its social media page, with the department expecting rain and thunderstorms to hit areas in and out of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
Lee, a volunteer based in Taman Sri Muda, said some of her groups were told to wait out the rain before heading there for fear that water levels would rise up again.
“Those who reached before 7am were okay but then the rain got heavier. Those who came after 8am were told to wait it out.
“There were some issues getting there as well with the rain affecting areas like Bukit Jelutong and along the NKVE highway.
“But by noon, we were good to go when the rain, thankfully, stopped,” she said when contacted.
A resident of TTDI Jaya in Shah Alam told The Star that he was woken up at around 3.30am to the sound of heavy rain.
“My wife pointed out that the rain was getting heavier and heavier. I peeked out the window and saw the water flow from the river was quite fast. And then a siren was blasted around the neighbourhood.
“At first I thought it was the police warning the residents there but I realised it was from the river pump siren, which meant that the water had gone up.
“Around 5am I went out with my neighbour and we saw that residents were starting to move their cars out,” he said.
He added that the flow of the river water was still quite fast then.
“I was not very worried though because of the flow. If it slows down, then that’s a problem,” he said.
Flooding over the weekend has left at least 24 dead in Selangor and nine in Pahang as of yesterday.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said 10 bodies were found in Klang; three in Hulu Langat and four in Sepang.
One of the dead has been identified as a volunteer.
Many displaced by the rains have lamented the slow response by the authorities in handling the floods.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, on Tuesday, admitted that there had been some delays and other weaknesses in flood rescue efforts in Selangor following Saturday’s floods but was quick to add that it was the responsibility of all to ensure this does not recur.