Quick Action By Firemen Saves Old Woman From Drowning

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Penang Fire and Rescue Department were busy in areas around Balik Pulau, Penang, today because of flash floods. (Bernama pic)BALIK PULAU: Quick action by firemen saved an elderly woman who nearly drowned after she was trapped in her house which was hit by a flash flood in Jalan Sungai Pinang here today
A spokesman for the Penang Fire and Rescue Department said he received an emergency call at 12.47pm about a 78-year-old woman trapped in her home by flood waters
“Heavy rainfall since 10am caused flooding at more than 10 houses in the area, including the senior citizen’s home, resulting in the overflow of the drainage system, further aggravated by high tides
“The water level was almost a metre deep and we managed to get the victim to a safer place. We also monitored until the flood waters receded at about 2.40pm,” the spokesperson said here today
Several other locations in Balik Pulau were also flooded: Taman Nelayan, Kampung Sungai Pinang; Kampung Sungai Rusa; Taman Manggis; Bukit Kechil and Kampung Air Putih involving more than 30 houses
The flood waters receded by 4 pm, the spokesman said. Several roads around Balik Pulau were closed to vehicles
A Balik Pulau flood victim, Mohd Noor Jusoh, 63, said their homes were inundated with water mixed with mud after more than two hours of rain in the area and he and his family were unable to salvage any of their belongings, including electrical appliances, because the water rose quickly
“It rained heavily today, my wife and I were in the kitchen, and all of a sudden the water seeped into the house in the living room and started rising very quickly. I could not save anything because the water rose up to a metre, we went out and kept moving to higher ground,” he said
The spokesman, meanwhile, said heavy rain from 2pm to 4pm had also caused several areas in Simpang Ampat, Nibong Tebal and Batu Kawan to be hit by lightning floods
Heavy rain between 65-97 mm in a short time had caused Sungai Baong to overflow, causing flash floods in the surrounding areas
“Some areas, especially roads have been flooded and so far nearly 20 houses in Kampung Sungai Baong, Kampung Valdor, Kampung Masjid Baru and Taman Lima Kongsi were affected. No one has been evacuated so far,” he said. - FMT

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