Thunderstorm: Anxious moment for family in Hulu Terengganu

Housewife Nurliza Abu Bakar, 40, said when the incident happened at about 6pm, her husband Noorzihan Yahya, 44, their two children Mohd Akmal Fariduddin, 11, and Nur Aleesya Elvina, 6, were with her watching television.

"It happened very quickly. All of a sudden there was a very loud noise above the house and the front roof was blown off by the wind. Some parts of the roof were blown to a neighbour's house.

"The wind was so strong that the windows were shattered. We were all shocked and huddled together in a corner. It all happened in less than five minutes but it was really frightening," she told reporters when met here today.

She said it came as a surprise as it was not raining heavily at that time.

Housewife Nadiah Mohd, 42, said she was outside her house when the roofs of several houses were blown away and trees were uprooted adding a similar incident occurred here in 2010.

"However, it was not this bad in 2010 as only two or three houses were affected. Yesterday everything happened before my eyes and I saw parts of my neighbour's house roof crashing into my house," she said.

Meanwhile, Terengganu Civil Defence Force (APM) director, Lt Col (PA) Mohd Rosman Abdullah said the storm caused damage to 81 houses in the area.

"Several trees were uprooted and the fallen trees have blocked the main road leading to the housing area," he said in a statement today.

He said 157 houses in several areas in Kuala Terengganu and 59 houses in Marang were also affected by the storm.

A check by Bernama at Padang Setengge housing area this morning saw workers from the Hulu Terengganu District Council and Fire Department removing the fallen trees and clearing the area while residents were busy cleaning up their houses.