Freak storm wreaks havoc in Johor Bahru, Iskandar Puteri

JOHOR BAHRU: A number of houses, shops and vehicles were badly damaged during a freak storm that hit Johor Bahru and Iskandar Puteri this afternoon.

Checks by Bernama found the roofs of several houses in Kampung Pasir, here blown off, and to make matters worse, its occupants also had to deal with flash floods.

One resident, Hishamudin Ma'in, 48, described the 3.30 pm incident as almost like a 'typhoon', adding that the storm abated only some two hours later.

"It was like a typhoon had just hit, the winds were ferocious and the roof of my house was blown off.

"The sky was so dark and winds were so strong that we could not see anything outside," he told Bernama when met at the scene.

The father of five children said although the villagers were quite used to flash floods, this was the first time the area was hit by a storm of this magnitude.

Another resident, Zanariah Jaafar, 44, meanwhile, said her house porch area and the roof were destroyed in the storm that also ended with her home being inundated by flood waters up to knee level.

"My car also suffered some damage. It was quite a traumatic incident, but I am thankful that my family escaped unharmed," the mother of two said.

Meanwhile, Skudai Fire and Rescue Department Operations Commander Faisal Ismail, in a statement, said three cars were hit by uprooted trees in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah here during the storm.

However, there were no casualties as the occupants managed to abandon their vehicles in time, he said.

-- BERNAMA