Heavy afternoon downpour causes flooding in many parts of Singapore

Channel NewsAsia 28 Nov 07;

SINGAPORE : The heavy downpour on Wednesday afternoon caused flooding in many parts of the island.

Several Channel NewsAsia viewers called MediaCorp's hotline to report water ponding at Orchard Road near the Scotts Road junction.

The owner of a shop at the basement of Lucky Plaza said the water reached ankle level and affected business.

There was also flooding near the Keppel Road-Cantonment Link junction.

Another caller reported an over-flooding canal at Delta Avenue.

Police also received several calls about floods at Havelock Road, Cavanagh Road, Tomlinson Road and Orchard Boulevard. - CNA /ls

WET, WET, WET
Loh Chee Kong, Today Online 29 Nov 07;

THE festive mood — and goods — at one of Orchard Road's busiest shopping malls were literally dampened by yesterday's persistent downpour.

With the Christmas shopping fever in full swing, doors to Lucky Plaza's basement were shut for some three hours after rainwater, gushing in from the street above, reached ankle deep.

When Today visited the shopping mall at 6.30pm, maintenance workers and shop owners in rolled-up pants and flip-flops were feverishly mopping up the water. Others, carrying cartons of goods, were tiptoeing and cursing the inclement weather for the damage to their goods and loss of business.

The scene was no less chaotic in other parts of the island during the afternoon storm. Callers to the Today Hotline and MediaCorp radios' Traffic Watch, reported flash floods along River Valley Road, Outram Road, Scotts Road, and the junction of Keppel Road and Cantonment Link.

Today reader J A Schooling, who was in a bus, said she saw two taxis and a car stalled in knee-deep water along River Valley Road.

"It was a freak flood," she said. "I've travelled this route for more than 20 years and have never seen anything like this."

Mr Tan Nguan Sen, PUB's director of catchment and waterways, said the intense rainfall, coinciding with a high tide, hit the central part of Singapore from 2.30pm.

"Low-lying areas in the city, such as Jalan Besar, Indus Road and Tiong Bahru, experienced flash floods," he said. "The flash floods subsided within an hour and PUB officers were on site in some of the areas to help motorists."

He added that the PUB had issued a flood advisory on Nov 2, warning residents and shop owners of the possibility of flash floods during the year-end North-east Monsoon.

Back at Lucky Plaza, shop owners said it took less than 10 minutes before the place was covered in inches of water and shops with direct access to the pedestrian walkway were the worst hit, including Giordano, where staff placed cardboard pieces on the parquet flooring to soak up the water.

Mr Mohamed Nasar, 42, who runs a moneychanger and silk store, said: "At about 3pm, they closed the doors and asked the customers to leave." He then scrambled to remove his goods, which remained undamaged. But he said he lost "about $500" in takings.

A neighbouring shop, which sells spectacles, was spared the hassle. The owner said: "I guess it helps to be prepared since this is not the first time it has happened. I place my goods a few inches off the ground."

A tailoring shop owner said this was "the third time in nine years" that the mall had been flooded.

"We have spoken to the management, but they said they can do nothing about it," said Mr Mohamed.

Lucky Plaza's maintenance office insisted the flooding was not caused by a building fault. A senior technician said: "The water flowed down from Orchard Road. We had to close the doors and clear the water into the manholes within the building."

PUB officials were at the site, assisting the landlord in its investigation. Mr Tan said: "The PUB has checked and found that the water from the drains did not overflow into the basement of Lucky Plaza."

The PUB said flash floods in low-lying areas would be alleviated when the Marina Barrage becomes operational next year. The PUB also has other flood alleviation projects, such as the $12.8-million canal construction at Commonwealth Avenue.

Flash floods hit central S'pore
Straits Times 29 Nov 07;

Knee-deep water left these cars stranded at the open-air carpark opposite Delta House yesterday.

A canal nearby had overflowed following the heavy downpour islandwide, which started at about 2.30pm.

This caused the carpark, located at the junction of Alexandra Road and Delta Road, to be flooded.

The authorities said the few hours of rain accounted for nearly half of the rainfall for the entire month.

To make matters worse, the storm coincided with a high tide, causing flash floods in many low-lying parts of Singapore.

In Orchard Road, customers looking for their afternoon caffeine fix were also affected when rainwater streamed into a basement Starbucks outlet.

FLASH FLOODS IN SINGAPORE
Washout for businesses as waters rise in town
Eateries and shops hit by sudden, heavy rainfall; cars also not spared
Carolyn Quek, Straits Times 29 Nov 07;

IT WAS 'high tea' at the Starbucks outlet in Liat Towers yesterday afternoon, as water rose to knee level.

Thanks to the sudden flash flood beginning at around 2.30pm, customers who had walked into the shop had to climb out of the knee-high water onto chairs laid out by the staff.

Two other shops also located on the basement level of Liat Towers - Burger King and Massimo Dutti, a boutique - were badly flooded.

The heavy thunderstorm yesterday dumped, in just a few hours, about 40 per cent of the monthly rainfall typically received in November.

The National Environment Agency said the highest rainfall recorded yesterday was 99mm, occurring around Somerset Road between 2.30pm and 5pm. The average rainfall for November is about 254mm.

Making matters worse, the intense rainfall coincided with a high tide which hit the central part of Singapore from around 2.30pm, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) said.

It led to flash floods in several low-lying areas in the city. Apart from the Orchard Road area, other flooded spots included Jalan Besar, Indus Road and Tiong Bahru.

But the floods subsided within an hour, the PUB said.

The store manager of the Starbucks outlet in Liat Towers told The Straits Times there had been minor flooding before, but yesterday's was the worst. 'We put out chairs for our customers,' said the store manager, who did not want to be named. Maintenance staff later pumped out the water in the basement.

Over at Lucky Plaza, businesses were affected when water started gushing out of a gap in the basement level of the shopping centre at 3.30pm.

According to Mr Yip Fook Chow, 70, an employee at Stitchwell Clothiers, which is located on the basement level, it was the third time in nine years that such an incident had happened.

The ankle-level flood subsided within an hour, but many shops remained closed.

'Our carpets and furniture were destroyed,' Mr Yip said.

Meanwhile, the open-air carpark in Lower Delta Road was so badly flooded that cars there were half-submerged.

Mr Brandon Quah, a financial planner who works at Valley Point, the building opposite the carpark, snapped some photos of the water-logged area and sent them to Stomp, The Straits Times' online interactive site.

The police said there were no road closures.

The PUB said heavy downpours are expected during this time of the year, with the onset of the North-east Monsoon.

More than 600 residents and shop owners in low-lying city areas have already been alerted to the possibility of flash floods, the PUB said.

It added that the Marina Barrage will help alleviate flash floods in low-lying areas when it comes into operation next year.

What a few hours of rain did

For several hours yesterday, Central Singapore was deluged with heavy rain causing flash floods, waterlogged shops and stranded cars. About 40 per cent of the average rainfall for November fell in just a few hours. Many Straits Times readers sent their pictures of the flood to online interactive portal Stomp.