Houses, Shops and Vehicles Damaged In The Aftermath Of Freak Storm In Johor

By Lara Kramer  •  01 Dec 2022 in News

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A freak storm that struck Johor Bahru and Iskandar Puteri this afternoon severely destroyed a slew of homes, businesses, and automobiles.

In Kampung Pasir, some homes had their roofs blown off. Residents also had to cope with flash floods, which made conditions tougher.

One local, Hishamudin Ma’in, 48, said the incident around 3:30 pm was nearly like a “typhoon,” and that the storm did not deter for another two hours.

“It appeared as if a hurricane had just passed. My house’s roofing was torn off by the tremendous wind. The sky was so dark and the wind so powerful that we could not see anything outside,” he told FMT.

Although the people were accustomed to experiencing flash floods, he claimed that this was the first time the region had experienced a storm of this intensity.

Meanwhile, another homeowner, 44-year-old Zanariah Jaafar, stated that the storm also resulted in the flooding of her home to the knees, destroying the porch and the roof.

There was minor damage to her automobile as well. Although it was a frightening experience, the mother of two expressed gratitude that she and her family were uninjured.

Additionally, Faisal Ismail, the operations commander for Skudai fire and rescue department, said that three automobiles were struck by uprooted trees during the storm in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah. No one was hurt, he claimed, since the drivers were able to quickly flee from their cars.

The Johor state government is prepared to assist impacted residents by tapping into the state disaster budget, according to Jafni Md Shukor, chairman of the state housing and local government council.

He claimed that the storm had wrecked the roofs of 19 units at the Pekaka Flats in Iskandar Puteri, 21 terrace houses in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, and 20 homes in Kampung Pasir, noting that no makeshift shelters for evacuees were established after the incident.

The city councils of Iskandar Puteri and Johor Bahru reportedly moved swiftly to assist in cleaning citizens’ homes.

“Since the state government is responsible for fixing damages to apartments, it may be able to use the disaster money to do so right away,” he said.

When he visited the afflicted homes in Kampung Pasir here tonight, he also stated, “For the private residences, we can use the fund as well, with applications handled by the district office.”

Finally, before reporting the incident to the village head and penghulu for further action, Jafni advised the affected residents to file a police report and prepare a list of all damages.