Torrential rain in Singapore causes flash floods, fallen trees

A woman was taken to hospital after a tree fell at the junction of Woodlands Avenue 1 and Woodlands Street 32 on Friday evening.
Channel NewsAsia 17 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE: Torrential rains in Singapore on Friday (Jun 17) caused flash floods and felled trees in parts of Singapore.

In a Facebook post, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said waist-high flash floods on Friday afternoon caused some vehicles to stall along Enterprise Road. It was alerted to the floods at about 4.30pm. A total of 11 people - including the elderly - were evacuated in life vests, SCDF said, adding that there were no injuries.

In a Facebook post on Friday evening, eyewitness Thessa Huiying detailed her experience of being stuck in the floods while aboard a bus. "Things happened real quickly. Within 10 minutes, water was rising rapidly. Thank you to the SBS bus driver uncle (Bus No. 252) who took the wise choice of not driving through (for the safety of everyone)," she wrote.

In a separate incident, a woman was taken to hospital after a tree fell at the junction of Woodlands Avenue 1 and Woodlands Street 32 on Friday evening.

SCDF said it was alerted to the incident at about 6.25pm and sent an ambulance to the scene. They then conveyed the woman, who is in her 30s, to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

Channel NewsAsia understands that the tree is under the National Parks Board's purview and was cleared from the road at about 8.30pm.

At about 7pm on Friday, another tree fell along Tiong Bahru Road. No injuries occurred as a result, according to SCDF.

Channel NewsAsia understands that the tree was cleared by about 9.30pm.

- CNA/dl


Flash floods trap 11 in Jurong West
WONG PEI TING Today Online 18 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE – A few vehicles, including an SBS bus with passengers on board, were stranded in a flash flood along Enterprise Road in Jurong West following heavy rain on Friday afternoon (June 17).

The waters were “waist high” said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), which had deployed life vests in its rescue.

A total of 11 people, some of whom were elderly, were evacuated from the stranded vehicles to safety. No injuries were reported.

In a video that was shared on Facebook at 4.22pm, floodwaters could be seen seeping onto the platform of Bus 252. Facebook user Thessa Huiying said: “I’m stuck in the bus flooded by the heavy downpour ... water is rising rapidly. I hope I make it out alive.”


Heavy rain causes commuters to be stranded in flooded bus
AsiaOne 18 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE - The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had to be called in after waist-high flash floods caused some bus commuters to be stranded at Enterprise Road on Friday (June 17) afternoon.

Facebook user Thessa Huiying, who was travelling on bus service 252 at the time, wrote that water rose rapidly within a span of 10 minutes.

She posted photos of the flooded bus and road, as well as videos that show lorries driving through the murky water despite being partially submerged.

In her post, she thanked the bus captain for choosing to stop the vehicle, adding that he apologised to commuters for the delay even though he did not need to.

on Facebook

She also thanked the SCDF for checking on the commuters and reassuring them. One Malay officer even joked with an elderly man in Chinese to lighten the mood, she said.

on Facebook

In a Facebook post, SCDF said that other vehicles were also stalled in the flood.

After receiving an alert on the floods at 4.30pm, the SCDF helped to evacuate a total of 11 people in life vests.

There were no reported injuries.