Orchard Road floods: 'Not acceptable'

PUB chief says it was caught off guard, pledges action to prevent recurrence
Grace Chua Straits Times 19 Jun 10;

THE national water agency, PUB, said yesterday that it was caught off guard by Wednesday's Orchard Road floods, and that the resulting impact on people, traffic and business was 'not acceptable'.

In his first comments since the flash flood, which is estimated to have caused millions in losses and damage, PUB CEO Khoo Teng Chye admitted: 'We were, frankly, a little bit caught off guard by what happened in Stamford Canal.'

He said the agency was monitoring the Bukit Timah area, a known flood hot spot, during Wednesday's heavy downpour, and did not realise there was a problem downtown.

Mr Khoo added that PUB takes a 'very serious' view of the incident.

And he said: 'We would like to assure everyone that we are doing our utmost to review what has happened and we will take the necessary measures to prevent a recurrence.'

Among those measures is designating Orchard Road as a flood hot spot, which means it will be monitored closely during heavy rain.

His comments came as the Orchard Road Business Association and Liat Towers management called for a meeting with PUB to help prevent a similar incident in future, and as Liat Towers surveyed its insurance options.

Asked if there would be compensation for retailers, the PUB's 3P (Public, Private, People) Network director Yap Kheng Guan had said on Thursday that the first priority was to help them get back on their feet.

Insurers, meanwhile, said they would settle all claims before deciding on their next course of action.

General Insurance Association of Singapore president Derek Teo said insurers may have the option of taking PUB or others to court for negligence and seeking reimbursement.

But he said: 'They can only do so if they can prove beyond a doubt that PUB or the contractor were negligent in their duties.'

At yesterday's press conference, PUB also responded to questions about whether a lack of maintenance added to the problem on Wednesday.

The flooding on Orchard Road occurred after a culvert there became blocked by debris during the rainstorm.

The culvert, near Orchard Parade Hotel, was meant to have allowed water to drain into two parallel channels flowing under Orchard Road.

But because it was partly blocked, water was directed mainly to just one of the channels, overwhelming it and causing the flooding.

Yesterday, PUB said the culvert was last cleaned three months ago, but that this was not an issue.

Mr Khoo explained: 'Even if those drains were perfectly cleaned and perfectly maintained, there was a huge amount of water that washed stuff in from catchment areas.'

About 101 mm of rain fell in just three hours on Wednesday, an amount equivalent to about 60 Olympic swimming pools.

Mr Khoo added that over the last 30 years, the agency has spent $2 billion on upgrading drainage infrastructure, including building the Marina Barrage to prevent high-tide waters from rushing in.

It spends $150m a year on drainage improvement works, and $23m a year on maintaining around 7,000km of drains and canals, a figure that has doubled since 2007.

These measures have cut flood-prone areas from more than 3,000ha in the 1970s to 66ha today.

Still, some suggested that more could be done.

Upper Thomson resident C.Y. Liew, 61, said he has observed street cleaners sweeping leaves and other litter into drains, or using leaf-blowers, which redistribute leaves and debris instead of gathering them for easy cleaning.

'It's a bit of a circus,' the director of an arts management company said.

In response, PUB said it will add more gratings to drains to trap leaves and carry out maintenance inspections every month, instead of every three months.

It will also coordinate cleaning with the National Environment Agency, which is in charge of cleaning public roads and pavements, except in housing estates, where the task falls to town councils.

For its part, the NEA said leaves and litter that are swept up from roads and pavements must be removed right away and incinerated.

The environment agency said it checked whether leaves and litter swept up are left behind, or swept into drains, and found that this was uncommon.

Contractors can be penalised if their workers do this, it added.

The PUB's cleaning contractor, Lian Shing Construction, which is in charge of cleaning drains in the central catchment district, including Orchard Road, could not be contacted yesterday.

Meanwhile, civil engineers contacted suggested other ways of preventing flooding or lessening its effects.

One, who did not want to be named, suggested that water could slow as it moved from a narrower culvert into a wider canal, depositing its payload of debris there. Such trouble spots, he said, could be monitored more often.

Professor Chiew Yee Meng, head of the Environmental and Water Resources Engineering division at NTU's engineering school, pointed out that buildings in Taipei, which faces a flooding problem every year during typhoon season, are built with this in mind.

They typically have 'crests' at ground level, to prevent floodwater from running into basements. That means people have to climb a few stairs before they can walk down into a building.

The PUB's Mr Khoo said newer buildings had to have humps at basement-carpark entrances to block water, and that the agency had been working with older buildings 'over the years' on such measures.

Experts suggest using green strategies to prevent floods
Satish Cheney, Zhi Ying Lim Channel NewsAsia 18 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE : Experts that MediaCorp spoke to on Friday said Singapore has good facilities to prevent flooding, but they suggested taking a holistic approach such as having more green buildings.

The rooftops of buildings and the space between buildings are some areas that can be used to help prevent floods and save water, said Dr Ole Larsen from the Dansk Hydraulisk Institut-Nanyang Technological University Research Centre and Education Hub.

Dr Larsen, Centre Director, DHI-NTU Research Centre and Education Hub, said: "When it rains heavily, it might be an advantage to store some of the water on the rooftops - for instance in a roof garden, etc. That requires, of course, that the buildings are constructed appropriately.

"The shopping centre could capture the water in a tank and basically have a separate piping system for flushing toilets."

Experts said cities like Singapore rely heavily on storm water systems to prevent floods. They noted that Singapore has done well in this aspect, but there is room for improvement.

As the effects of climate change could spell more unpredictable weather, experts said countries like Singapore need to brace for more freak storms.

Dr Michael Butts, head of Innovation, Dansk Hydraulisk Institut, said the most important consideration for Singapore is the rising sea level. "We are in a low-lying country and an island and if the sea level rises a metre or so, it's going to have a dramatic affect.

"There will be an increase in rainfall - exactly how they will occur, we are not sure. It could be there will be more tropical storms, more intense rainfall," he added.

The effort to turn existing buildings into green structures is costly for owners. One way to get around this is to incorporate green strategies into future building plans.

- CNA/al

Flood damage hits building's water supply
Delfi Orchard's water pumps are damaged, limiting fresh supplies
Hoe Pei Shan Straits Times 19 Jun 10;

THE Orchard Road flood has claimed another victim: the Delfi Orchard building in Orchard Road.

Wednesday's massive flood damaged the building's water pumps, resulting in the management of the 13-storey shopping-cum-apartment complex limiting water usage.

A decreasing water supply is just one of the many problems tenants and residents have had to face over the past few days.

The flood, which caused extensive damage to businesses at Liat Towers and Lucky Plaza, resulted in water filling the building's entire basement three level, which housed the water pumps.

Telephone service was also disrupted on Wednesday, followed by the air-conditioning system shutting down on Thursday morning, according to tenants.

Music school Magic Fiddler was forced to cancel all Thursday classes.

On Thursday afternoon, the building management announced that the property's water pumps had been hit by the flooding. The management distributed notices informing tenants and residents that the building 'will run out of water very soon'.

The news has occupants of the building - housing mostly speciality shops and fashion boutiques - worried.

Said one of Magic Fiddler's music teachers, who declined to be named: 'It's been very inconvenient, not only affecting our business but also our daily routines.

'We're so afraid of using up the water supply that we run to the next building when we have to use the toilet.'

PUB, the national water agency, has been roped in since Thursday to ensure a continuous supply of potable water but occupants were told to use it sparingly.

It has deployed a high-pressure booster pump and officers to channel water into the building.

A PUB spokesman confirmed that the basement's electric pump, which brings potable water up to the water tank on the top floor, where it is then distributed to the rest of the building, had been damaged in Wednesday's flooding incident.

As such, the water tank on the roof cannot be replenished, thereby decreasing the water supply.

Building experts The Straits Times spoke to suspect that the basement pumps may have been short-circuited by the flood water, which was still ankle-deep when The Straits Times visited yesterday morning.

Delfi Orchard's management declined to comment on how long it would take to replace the water pumps and how many tenants and residents had been affected.

Amid speculation that the water shortage has affected the coolants and hence the air-conditioning, another tenant, jeweller Vincent Ng complained: 'I had to close early on Thursday because my customers would not want to walk around in a stuffy store.'

One of the building's residents, Mr John Ting, former president of the Singapore Institute of Architects, said that repairs will probably have to be put off until all the water has been cleared from basement three.

But he said the disruption was unlikely to trouble him much: 'We have just got to be more cautious in water usage and live with some inconveniences for a while - having shorter showers instead of full baths.'

Lucky Plaza shops not so lucky with insurance
Ng Kai Ling, Alexis Cai & Lim Wei Chean Straits Times 19 Jun 10;

OPERATORS of most of the waterlogged shops at Lucky Plaza will be digging into their own pockets to pay for the damage caused by Wednesday's flash flood.

This is because they are either not covered for flood damage or because they are not insured in the first place.

Others who do have insurance coverage are choosing not to make claims for fear of increased premiums.

Several shop owners who spoke to The Straits Times said getting insurance policies was not worth it, as premiums are high and their stores are small.

An electronics store owner who wished to be known only as Mr Lee had not bought insurance as he did not expect his shop to get hit by floods so badly.

He claims his losses could go up to $30,000 including the value of the damaged goods and the cost of replacing shelves and flooring.

'I will try to find a way to foot the bill but if I really cannot find the money, I may have to close the shop,' said the 35-year-old.

But even for those with insurance policies, coverage is not so cut and dry.

Mr Derek Teo, president of the General Insurance Association of Singapore (GIA), said for businesses to get full protection against the type of damage wrought by Wednesday's unexpected deluge, they need to have bought more than one type of insurance.

For instance, fire insurance will usually come with an option for extraneous perils, which covers events such as floods and other natural disasters.

To cover for damage of goods and loss of business income, business owners need to have policies covering 'all risks' and 'loss of profits', said insurers.

However, such policies do not come cheap.

Mr Sunny Ng, who runs All Watches at the mall, pays more than $10,000 a year for a package policy that includes coverage for the contents of his shop, loss of any cash from the shop, and fire and flood damage.

The coverage will come in handy for the luxury watch dealer as he is looking at replacing the parquet flooring in the 1,300 sq ft basement unit.

He has already submitted a claim and is waiting for a reply from his insurer.

But Mr Elton Chow is footing the $1,000 bill to replace the carpet in his shop, despite being insured for up to $1.2 million.

'We will just forget about it and pay because we don't want our premiums to go up,' said Mr Chow, who runs a tailoring shop. He currently pays $2,000 a year in insurance premiums.

Insurance experts say premiums can increase if the loss ratio in a location goes up. Loss ratio is the ratio of the annual claims paid by an insurance company to the premiums received.

They said that, in the case of Lucky Plaza, the loss ratio is relatively higher than in other places because of floods there in recent years, the last major one being in November 2007.

For one shop owner, he cannot claim insurance even if he tried.

Mr Albert Lee, who runs a shoe shop in the basement of the mall, was told yesterday by his insurance agent that he will not be able to make a claim for his estimated $7,000 to $8,000 damage.

'My current insurance doesn't cover flood damage. I claimed from my previous insurer for water damage three times. After that, my agent said the insurer did not want to cover floods any more so I bought another plan which does not cover water damage,' said the 63-year-old in Mandarin.

He added that Wednesday's flood was a wake-up call and he will be looking at changing his policy again.

A spokesman for insurance group AXA said certain areas carry a higher risk, and it may decline coverage for flood damage in certain cases.

NTUC Income's senior vice-president and general manager for general insurance Pui Phusangmook said his company will provide cover for flood-related damage for properties in low-lying or flood-prone areas.

But, he said, it may impose deductibles or conditions on individual policies, such as being able to claim for damages only above a certain amount.

GIA's Mr Teo said insurance companies will generally not refuse coverage for floods even in flood-prone areas.

'If he (Mr Lee) hunts around, he should be able to find an insurance company willing to insure him against floods. But it is a matter of whether the owner is willing to pay more or not,' he said.

PUB will require Orchard Road buildings to be flood-proofed
Older buildings that do not have a raised platform to stop floodwater were worst hit in Wednesday's deluge
Uma Shankari Business Times 19 Jun 10;

WATER agency PUB will make it mandatory for buildings in the Orchard Road area to be flood-proofed to stop rainwater from flowing into their basements.

The move comes after heavy rain on Wednesday caused a flash flood around the junction of Orchard and Scotts roads. Water poured into many buildings and stores, but older buildings that do not have a raised platform to stop floodwater - such as Lucky Plaza, Liat Towers, Tong Building and Delfi Orchard - were worst hit.

PUB, which is responsible for Singapore's drainage system, deployed 10 tankers and seven pumps to suck out floodwater from the four buildings on Wednesday.

PUB chief executive Khoo Teng Chye said newer buildings and MRT stations, for example, were not as badly affected because regulations required them to be flood-resistant when they were built. A flight of stairs leading up, for example, can prevent rainwater from overflowing into MRT stations underground.

Older buildings, which went up before current regulations came into effect, do not have the same preventive features. PUB is talking to building owners to see how they can take steps to prevent a recurrence of Wednesday's flooding, Mr Khoo said.

PUB takes a serious view of the Orchard Road flooding, he said: 'The impact and disruption to people, traffic and business are not acceptable. We would like to assure everyone that we are doing our utmost to review what happened and take the necessary measures to minimise the chances of recurrence.'

Wednesday's flood came about as 100mm of rain fell in two hours between 9am and 11am.

A huge amount of water - equivalent to 60 Olympic-size pools - carried vegetation and other debris which then partly blocked an enclosed drain, or culvert, across Orchard Road. This resulted in rainwater overflowing into Stamford Canal under Orchard Road and Orchard Road itself.

PUB said on Thursday it will install more litter traps in the open sections of drains from the Singapore Botanic Gardens all the way down to Tanglin to trap debris carried into the drains during a downpour. More water level sensors will also be installed along Stamford Canal for closer monitoring of unusual water levels.

Mr Khoo stressed that the capacity of Stamford Canal is adequate.

The last major flood at the intersection of Orchard and Scotts roads was in 1984, so the area was not classified as a 'hot spot'. PUB will now consider Orchard Road a 'hot spot' and deploy contractors to the area once the water level in Stamford Canal hits 50 per cent.

PUB has spent about $2 billion over the past 30 years to upgrade drainage systems across the island and reduce flood-prone land from 3,200 hectares in the 1970s to 66 ha now.

It plans to spend another $150 million a year for the next five years to continue to improve upgrading works. It has also doubled its maintenance expenditure to $23 million.

PUB chief executive says water agency caught off guard in Orchard Rd flood
Claire Huang Channel NewsAsia 18 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE : The Chief Executive of Singapore's national water agency, PUB, has acknowledged that his agency was caught off guard by the Orchard Road flood on Wednesday.

Khoo Teng Chye told a media conference on Friday that PUB takes a "serious view" of the incident.

During the downpour on June 16, one of the hotspots PUB was monitoring closely was the Bukit Timah area, which experienced massive flooding in November last year.

But PUB did not realise there were problems at Stamford Canal.

A culvert that was heavily blocked by debris then triggered the flooding of Orchard Road.

It has now declared the area a new flood hotspot.

PUB said it takes a serious view of the floods, especially in the Orchard Road area.

"The impact on people, businesses and traffic is something that we view as not acceptable. We've done our initial investigations; it was due to a combination of very unusually intense double-peaked rainstorms that were aggravated by the flow of debris that partially obstructed the culvert," said Khoo.

Asked if a lack of maintenance could have contributed to the clogged drains, Khoo believes there was a combination of factors.

"Even if we have very well-maintained drains... given the amount of rain that fell on that day - as I said, it's 60 Olympic-sized pools - I think it would have washed down into the culverts huge amounts of debris," said Khoo.

PUB said over the last 30 years, it has invested S$2 billion to upgrade Singapore's drainage infrastructure. This has helped to reduce the country's flood-prone areas from 3,200 hectares to some 66 hectares currently.

It added that it will invest S$150 million each year for the next five years on upgrading works.

Khoo said: "On the maintenance front, we've doubled our expenditure in the last three years to S$23 million a year. We put our contractors on a performance-based system. We extended their contract from three years to five years, encouraging them to invest in new technology.

"In fact, everyday, we have about 400 staff from the contractors and from PUB making sure that all our drains are well-maintained."

PUB said it will continue to investigate and improve the current system to prevent similar flooding. And it's doing its best to review what had happened. - CNA /ls

PUB: We were caught off-guard
CEO says measures will be taken to prevent recurrence
Leong Wee Keat Today Online 19 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE - A day after PUB blamed a blocked drain for the Orchard Road flood, its chief executive admitted on Friday that the national water agency was "caught off-guard" by what happened at Stamford Canal, the main drainage artery in the area.

When the downpour began on Wednesday morning, PUB staff kept a close watch on Bukit Timah, given the major flood that occurred there last November, said Mr Khoo Teng Chye. They subsequently decided to lift the flood gates to prevent that part of Bukit Timah from being flooded - not realising that Stamford Canal was in trouble.

"Of course, what they did not realise was that the Stamford Canal was also having some problems, because we were, frankly, a little bit caught off-guard by what happened at Stamford Canal. But, of course, now that becomes a new hot spot," Mr Khoo told a press conference, the national water agency's third in as many days.

But Mr Khoo stopped short of issuing an apology on behalf of PUB over the unexpected flash flood in Singapore's iconic shopping belt, which has led to millions of dollars in losses for affected businesses, especially near the junction of Scotts Road/Orchard Road.

He said: "We are responsible for the drainage system so it's our job to make sure that the drainage system functions well.

"When there are problems like these, I think we have the responsibility to make sure that we try and manage it, learn from it and take the necessary steps to prevent a recurrence."

According to Mr Khoo, water equivalent to 60 Olympic-size pools carried vegetation and other debris down the Stamford Canal on Wednesday morning, partially obstructing an underground drain across Orchard Road. This led to rainwater being diverted into another drain and led to almost 20 Olympic-size pools of water overflowing onto the area.

Trotting out a series of figures on Friday, Mr Khoo assured the public that a comprehensive system comprising litter traps, regular inspections and maintenance of drainage system is already in place.

More than $2 billion has been poured into improving drainage infrastructure over the past three decades. PUB will also invest $150 million annually over the next five years on drainage improvement works.

The agency's maintenance expenditure has also been doubled to $23 million. Each day, 360 contractor staff members are deployed island-wide to carry out maintenance of drainage systems and they are audited by PUB.

But since PUB had said that the Stamford Canal was last checked only in March, how sure was it that the debris was brought down by Wednesday's rainwater, and had not been there before the downpour?

Mr Khoo said the canal's catchment area was about 220 hectares - equivalent to the size of Marina Reservoir - and Wednesday's rain brought a huge amount of water into the underground drain.

Pressed again on when the canal was last cleaned of debris, Mr Khoo explained drainage systems are meant to be "self-cleansing" and covered drains are less likely to collect litter. Instead, PUB and its contractors were more worried about silt building up in these drains.

"The last time they went in to check was probably in March. It is not something they need to do on a very regular basis for some of these smaller drains," Mr Khoo added.

PUB will now inspect the canal once a month. It will also be working with older buildings in the area - such as Lucky Plaza and Liat Towers - on flood prevention measures.

Additional flood sensors along Stamford Canal will also be installed. Contractors will be deployed when water levels reach 50 per cent, while the Traffic Police will be alerted when it reaches 75 per cent.

Mr Khoo said one of the difficulties of managing the drain systems is the unpredictable tropical weather.

"Although initial investigations showed that the drainage system capacity is sufficient and this flood resulted from an unusually intense storm .... we will continue to thoroughly investigate and take the necessary measures to prevent a recurrence."

Orchard-type deluge: How prepared?
Straits Times 19 Jun 10;

ASIDE from widespread and prolonged power blackouts during business hours, floods that partially knock out commerce in the central district inevitably cause Singaporeans to ask: How could that have happened? Next, inhabitants who expect a thoroughly engineered city to be free of service disruptions common to overwhelmed conurbations in parts of Asia and South America will feel a blush of embarrassment. They would be justified to an extent. Singapore is renowned for having most urban solutions down to an art. The flash flood on Wednesday morning that was reported widely in the region for its Orchard Road connection shut down businesses in malls known to visitors from all over. Last November, the Bukit Timah-Dunearn area suffered severe flooding which required evacuations. In common with many parts of the world, flooding appears to be more frequent.

Torrential tropical downpours require drainage systems with ample margin to make up for operational lapses caused by damage and blockages. This is to prevent the disruptions that are difficult to stave off once flash floods strike. On Wednesday, the rainfall recorded in three hours was equivalent to 60 per cent of the benchmark volume for all of June. The initial finding of the PUB water agency implicated a single culvert that could not discharge water fast enough. As the culvert was choked with debris carried by the rising waters the discharge into the Stamford Canal was reduced. A spillover was the result.

If a single culvert made inoperative by accumulated rubbish could paralyse Orchard Road traffic and damage merchandise and fixtures in so many shops, a question arises: Is the Orchard area under-served by culverts and associated channels? The PUB surprised many people when it said maintenance checks on the discharge network were done about every three months. We are not experts in the matter, but this looks infrequent for a location on the equatorial belt with known copious rainfall. While Orchard's weak spots are being probed because of the street's economic importance, the PUB could as well undertake a systemic study of the island's entire drainage network. Flooding of mild to moderate intensity happens in different locations every so often.

Underground MRT stations are a worry. They are secured by having entrances set at least 1m above the highest recorded flood levels in those locations. This is safe enough - but who knows what will happen in the event of a record-busting deluge. As global warming is known to be causing changes to climate systems, designing for the unknowable could be wise.

Were there lapses?
Straits Times Forum 19 Jun 10;

ON WEDNESDAY, Orchard Road turned into Orchard Canal. And it was a case of deja vu. I am sure many Singaporeans would have vivid recollections of Bukit Timah Road becoming Bukit Timah River last November.

Commenting on the Bukit Timah flood then, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim said it was a 'freak' event that occurs 'once in 50 years' ('Deluge a 'once in 50 years' event'; Nov 21, 2009). However, it has hardly been a year before we have witnessed flooding again on a similar scale.

The PUB's revelation that a drain clogged with debris likely caused the Orchard Road flood is most disappointing. In this context, it is reasonable to question whether - and to what extent - lapses in the maintenance of the drainage system could have contributed to the flash flood.

Proponents of global warming and climate change have projected that the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as heavy precipitation events, may increase over most areas, and may not be 'once in 50 years' events.

According to meteorologists, higher temperatures trap moisture in the atmosphere, resulting in more intense rain and a higher likelihood of floods.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fourth Assessment Report noted that 'generally, numbers of heavy daily precipitation events that lead to flooding have increased'.

I would like to inquire whether the recently reorganised Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change intends to study the future effects of climate change on Singapore, if any, and formulate mitigation measures to alleviate any undesirable consequences, such as reviewing the capability of our infrastructure to cope with extreme weather events.

Sin Wei Xiang

Straits Times Forum 19 Jun 10;
Recurring floods

'It is high time for a thorough review of the nation's drainage system.'

MR LIEW YENG CHEE: 'Last November, it was in Bukit Timah. Now the waters have flooded Orchard Road. With the change in weather patterns due to global warming, we must expect such floods to happen more frequently. Have the authorities drawn up contingency plans for such an eventuality? It is high time for a thorough review of the nation's drainage system.'

A case of litter?

'I wonder how much of the debris that choked the drain had been litter.'

MISS SOPHIA TAN: 'The damage caused by the flood could amount to millions. I wonder how much of the debris that choked the critical drain had been made up of tissue paper, plastic wrappers and other litter carelessly tossed by pedestrians, who assumed our regular army of cleaners would clean them up. Let us take it as a timely reminder that our littering habit has finally caught up with us. If the flash flood had taken place during the Youth Olympic Games, it would have been a great embarrassment for all.'

Learning experience

'Thanks Straits Times, for the extensive coverage of an extraordinary occurrence. We need to be more prepared next time.'

MR JOHN TING, an affected resident of Delfi Orchard: 'Thanks Straits Times, for the extensive coverage of an extraordinary occurrence. We need to be more prepared the next time something like this happens. Let this be a good learning experience for all of us. My sincere thanks to the police and civil defence personnel, the PUB and other agencies that sprang into action after the flash flood and spent long hours trying to bring the situation back to normal.'

Knee-jerk solutions won't do
Straits Times 19 Jun 10;

I REFER to the PUB report on the causes leading to the massive flooding in Orchard Road.

Singapore's iconic attraction was so helplessly and embarrassingly submerged, yet PUB's reply came across as indifferent and the recommendations to use sensors and inspections - at best, knee-jerk solutions.

There should be more effective solutions to ensure that Orchard Road and other low-lying areas are well drained, even during ultra-heavy downpours.

Steve Ng