Pandemonium as floods hit Kajang

The Malaysian Insider, Friday, December 2011

Pandemonium as floods hit Kajang

An aerial view of the flood today. — Photo from Facebook

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 — Kajang was submerged under floodwaters after hours of torrential rain this afternoon, sweeping cars aside and bringing the town to a standstill. 

Streets in the township began to flood over from 3pm and water gushed into shopping centres like Plaza Metro, and even into shops and restaurants including the local McDonald’s.

Floodwaters reached past car wing mirrors and most people in town were stranded in their buildings.

“The water was rushing by and we could only watch cars drift by. This is the worst flood here since the 1971,” Kajang assemblyman Lee Kim Sin said referring to the floods that killed 32 in the Klang Valley 40 years ago.

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) was also forced to stop train services into the township.

Partially submerged cars. — www.ericyong77.com pic

Residents have been posting photos and videos on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, telling others not to travel into Kajang until floodwaters subside.

 

A video posted on Facebook showed a woman standing on top of a van desperately waiting to be rescued from the rushing waters.

People on the first floor of a nearby building finally lowered a ladder onto the roof of the van so that she could clamber to safety.

Another video showed workers in a shopping centre rushing to save goods from the ground floor by passing them on to others standing on an escalator.

The flash flood hit the town at around 3pm after heavy rains caused a nearby river to break its banks.

Lee said at 6pm, floodwaters had subsided enough for cars to move.