[BREAKING NEWS] Flash Floods: After Puchong, KL Pulak!
[NEW UPDATE] We've been getting reports on another flash flood in KL around 5pm (21st February)? Got pictures to share? Contribute to this story now! Previously: Heavy rain caused a massive traffic jam on the LDP in Puchong. The first few pictures of the badly flooded highway surfaced on Facebook at around 5.30pm, February 18 2013, and went viral.
Feb 21: Flash flood in KL
The affected areas were Jalan Sultan Ismail at the Kampung Baru intersection, Jalan Tun Razak at the RHB Tunnel and Jalan Bellfield in front Wisma Putra.
The damage in Puchong
Workers at IOI Mall Puchong cleaning stagnant pools of water at the basement carpark
Meanwhile IOI Mall general manager Ronnie Francis when met said 140 vehicles parked in front of the mall were badly damaged.
Starbucks PR head Salleh Haron said its outlet was temporarily closed for cleaning operations.
“We were not badly flooded but some furniture and machinery were damaged,” he said.
“My losses in damaged clothes easily amounted to more than RM4,000 apart from losing a day of business transactions,” boutique owner Ah Ling said when met by reporters today.
Litrak communications head Shah Rizal Mohamed Fawzi said the drain openings along the highway were cleaned on a weekly basis to prevent blockage. Call the Litrak hotline for emergencies: 03-7494 7333.
The cause of the flash flood
THE flash flood that submerged cars along the LDP and in the IOI Mall open-air carpark in Puchong could have been caused by blocked drainage, which prevented water from flowing into the Klang River.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department operations assistant director Mohamad Sani Harul said the water level rose to 1.5 metres but no casualties were reported.
Shah Rizal (Litrak's head of communications) explained that the two affected sections were flood-prone areas and in response to the floods, Litrak had termporarily opened the U-turn at Km 19.9 to divert traffic to the Kesas highway.
The flash flood, which was caused by backflow from monsoon drains feeding into the Klang river, reached 0.8m in height at parts of Km 21.36 and caused a number of cars to stall.
Hujan lebat sejak jam 4 petang tadi menyebabkan banjir kilat di sekitar Puchong mengakibatkan kenderaan terperangkap di Lebuhraya Damansara...
Selangor government blamed for flood
“Peruntukan yang sepatutnya dibelanjakan untuk baiki jalan, selenggara parit, longkang dan sungai dibazirkan kepada projek MES yang menguntungkan kroni politik PKR, DAP dan Pas sahaja,”
The IOI Mall in Puchong and the nearby roads were flooded this evening, and a pro-BN group is putting the blame on Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim’s administration.
Flood waters enter IOI Mall
Difahamkan bahawa air banjir juga memasuki bahagian bawah IOI Mall Puchong.
terbakor.comA supervisor of a fast-food joint in IOI Mall Puchong, Laila Mohd Daud, said the waters began flowing in at 5.30pm.
The flood waters receded by 6pm.
The flood waters had receded at around 6.30pm and clean up work at the mall is currently taking place.
malaysiandigest.comContinuous heavy rain which started at around 4pm had flooded the parking lot and parts of the road in front of IOI Mall in about two feet of water.
Malaysians warn each other about the jam
1817 LDP: FLASH FLOODS KM 21.4 & KM 23.2 in front IOI Mall & Setiawalk - Bdr Puteri causing delays fr SPRINT & Bdr Utama, also KESAS
"Ok. Everyone stay put. Cancel all your dinner plans. (Photo frm Philip low)"
@SmashpOp at 6:28pm: Jalan Puchong in front of IOI Mall SUPER FLOODED. Avoid!!!! #kltraffic
The other jap car was floating and got washed around ! coz not heavy enough ! Luckily got no river next to road other wise the other car driver masuk river already!
investlah.comPics of the LDP flood in Puchong @ 5.30pm
Isnin 18/2/13 @ 5.30 petang.Hari ini dalam sejarah.Lebuhraya LDP berhadapan IOI Mall Puchong telah dilanda banjir.Kepada pengguna lebuhraya ini diharap menggunakkan laluan lain.
Image via akamaihd.netHujan lebat di Pusat Bandar Puchong telah mengakibatkan banjir kilat dengan paras air setinggi 1.5 meter yang melibatkan kawasan pusat beli belah Jusco IOI sehingga ke Bandar Puteri. Menurut penyelia operasi, Pegawai Bomba Kanan 2 Pusat Bandar Puchong, Ashwan Wasir, ketika dihubungi berkata, hujan mula lebat pada pukul 5 petang dan laporan banjir telah diterima kira-kira setengah jam kemudian.
Image via googleusercontent.comWe're following live tweets and some are reporting flash floods in front of IOI mall puchong and even near the Bandar Puteri area. Some pictures:
TIP: Use 'Waze' & Twitter on your phone to avoid jams
Waze is a free social mobile app that enables drivers to build and use live maps, real-time traffic updates and turn-by-turn navigation for an optimal commute.
waze.comFollow @KLtraffic on Twitter and tag #kltraffic on your tweets to tip Malaysians on the road.