Afternoon thunderstorm wreaks havoc in Klang

KLANG: An afternoon of torrential rain and strong winds has wrecked havoc here on Oct 1, with many cars hit by fallen trees and branches. 

At least three cars were damaged, when strong winds rocked Taman Berkeley during the 2.45pm incident. 

Clerk Nordin Ahmad had a close shave.  He managed to step on the gas pedal in time to get his car out of the path of a falling tree. 

"I heard a few loud cracks, as I was driving along Jalan Pekan Baru to meet a friend nearby. 

"Then I saw a big tree was falling on my left.

"It happened so fast, and all I could think of was to go faster. 

"If I had not stepped on the pedal, I would have ended up dead under the fallen tree in my car," said the 41-year-old when met at the scene.

Although he managed to escape getting hurt in the harrowing incident, Nordin said half of the roof of his car was dented and his front windscreen cracked from the impact of some falling branches. 

Retiree Seah Ah Hooi, whose vehicle was parked right next to the fallen tree, said she had just repaired her car about a month ago. 

"I got the engine and other parts fixed, and even had a new set of tyres changed.

"But I'm thankful that I was not in the car when it happened," said the 67-year-old. 

At press time, the stretch on Jalan Pekan Baru was still off-limits to vehicles, as firemen battled against time to attend to similar incidents throughout Klang. 

It is learned that more than 20 places in town experienced fallen trees and branches, following the heavy downpour that began at about 2.15pm. - Star