Traders count losses after flash floods hit Medan Selera 223

 They say yesterday’s flash floods were the fourth to hit the Petaling Jaya food court in about a month.

Several people helped chicken rice stall operator Che Adin Ahmad move his refrigerator, which was damaged by the flash floods yesterday.

PETALING JAYA:

 Traders at Medan Selera 223 here say they are at their wits’ end after flash floods hit the food court for the fourth time in about a month.

The incident, which occurred at about 3pm yesterday, saw water rise quickly after nearly 20 minutes of heavy rain, submerging several stalls before receding later.

Videos of the flash floods at the food court in Jalan 51A/223, with waters said to have risen up to 1.2m, have since gone viral.

Che Adin Ahmad.

Chicken rice stall operator Che Adin Ahmad, 74, said it was among the worst floods he had seen in more than 10 years of doing business there.

“There have been four floods this month alone, but this was the worst. Even my refrigerator was floating. When it happened, my wife, who suffered a stroke, could not walk. We had to wait for firefighters to come and rescue her,” he told FMT.

Che Adin estimated his losses at more than RM2,000, including damaged goods, electrical appliances and a week’s worth of stock. He said he also had to pay to repair his refrigerator after an earlier flood.

Mixed rice stall operator Harliza Harun, 50, said she lost almost RM2,000 after electrical items and business equipment were damaged.

She said she managed to move her car to higher ground after seeing the water rise, but could not save much of her equipment and stock.

Che Adin Ahmad said the flood that hit the food court was among the worst he had seen in more than 10 years of doing business there.

“There had been floods before, but not as bad as yesterday,” said Harliza, who has been operating at the food court for six years.

“All the electrical items were damaged by floodwaters. Until now, I am afraid to switch them on because I do not want to make the damage worse,” she said.

The two traders claimed complaints had been lodged over the floods in the area, but they kept happening whenever there was heavy rain.

Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung had called for an urgent review of flood mitigation in the city, saying it was time to look at proposed measures in the local plan.

Section 51A, which was among the areas affected, was also hit on April 18 by flash floods described by local traders as the worst in 30 years, according to a Harian Metro report.

The flash floods yesterday, which followed heavy rain and strong winds, also inundated several main roads, including the Kuchai Link from Sungai Besi to Jalan Klang Lama in Kuala Lumpur.

A total of eight vehicles were trapped in the floods in three separate locations – Jalan Awan Kecil in Taman OUG, Jalan Kuchai Lama heading towards Jalan Klang Lama, and inside the Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Highway tunnel. - FMT