Sumita Sreedharan Today Online 16 Oct 13;
SINGAPORE — Several areas in the eastern parts of Singapore were yesterday hit by flash floods after the pre-dawn thundery showers, which also caused some damage to Pasir Ris Polyclinic.
According to the PUB, the “intense storms” flooded lanes on the Pan Island Expressway Tampines Avenue 5 exit, Upper Paya Lebar Road (near Lim Teck Boo Road), and Tampines Road (near Jalan Teliti) although the roads remained passable to traffic. There were no major traffic incidents reported.
Parts of the second floor of the Pasir Ris Polyclinic — which was closed for the Hari Raya Haji public holiday — were flooded. Two ceiling boards collapsed on the ground floor of the polyclinic. The management was alerted to the damage at 6am after the security alarms went off.
Dr Peter Moey, the clinic’s Director, said: “We are investigating the cause and also assessing the damage severity and doing some maintenance work to assess that the building is safe for operations. At the moment, from what we see, the equipment and building look okay, but we need a more comprehensive assessment.”
Mr Kelvin Tan, who lives along Tampines Road, said the area is prone to flooding and that he has seen floods there two to three times a year over the last three years.
“Athough the flood subsided in about 20 minutes this time round, this has happened before and I hope the authorities will resolve the issue soon,” said Mr Tan, who is in his 30s.
The PUB said the drains there will be upgraded from the second half of next year. In the interim, it will also install an additional water level sensor in the drain at the affected stretch so that it can better monitor the water levels during heavy storms and send alerts should flash floods occur. It noted that a water level sensor has already been installed in the drain further downstream at Hougang Avenue 7.
Yesterday’s incidents follow severe flash floods last month that forced the closure of the Ayer Rajah Expressway, uprooted trees and caused massive traffic snarls.
In the aftermath of the Sept 5 floods, the agency acknowledged that it could take some time for the improvement works that are in progress and in the pipeline to bear fruit.
Sumita Sreedharan
Parts of Pasir Ris Polyclinic damaged by morning downpour
Sara Grosse Channel NewsAsia 15 Oct 13;
A heavy downpour early Tuesday morning caused some damage to Pasir Ris Polyclinic. The damage has since been repaired, and the polyclinic will resume operations on Wednesday.
PHOTOSVIDEOS
A staff member wiping down the counter at Pasir Ris Polyclinic after it was hit by a downpour on Tuesday morning. (Photo: Sara Grosse)
ENLARGECAPTION
SINGAPORE: A heavy downpour early Tuesday morning caused some damage at Pasir Ris Polyclinic.
The damage has since been repaired, and the polyclinic will resume operations on Wednesday.
A section of the ceiling on the first level of the clinic had collapsed, while puddles of water were found at all three levels of the polyclinic.
SingHealth Polyclinics said initial investigations show that the incident was likely due to the heavy downpour.
At 6am, the clinic's director was alerted that the security alarm had gone off.
Dr Peter Moey, Family Physician & Clinic Director at SingHealth Polycinics (Pasir Ris), said: "We are investigating the cause and also assessing the damage severity and doing some maintenance work to assess that the building is safe for operations.
"At the moment, from what we see, the equipment and building looks okay but we need a more comprehensive assessment."
With parts of the ceiling still leaking, staff quickly took preventive measures. Fortunately, the polyclinic was closed on Tuesday as it was a public holiday, so no patients were affected.
SingHealth Polyclinics said it has assessed the clinic situation and done thorough checks on its systems and facilities to ensure that the clinic is safe and ready for operation.
It also said the polyclinic has been cleaned up, and the damaged ceiling boards replaced.
The polyclinic is situated within the Pasir Ris East Community Building. It is working with the building's managing agent to investigate the cause of this incident.
Due to the heavy rain, national water agency PUB said flash floods occurred in the eastern parts of Singapore, including Tampines.
- CNA/xq/gn
Early morning thunderstorm causes flash floods
Melissa Lin Straits Times 16 Oct 13;
HEAVY rain caused flash floods across Singapore after a thunderstorm early yesterday morning, though most areas escaped major damage.
Worst hit was Pasir Ris Polyclinic, where two ceiling boards collapsed after a build-up of water. No one was injured in the incident, which happened at around 6am. Water puddles also formed on three levels.
The clinic, run by SingHealth Polyclinics, was closed yesterday for the Hari Raya Haji public holiday but is expected to re-open as normal today.
When The Straits Times visited the place in Pasir Ris Drive 4 yesterday afternoon, workers were assessing the damage.
The clinic director, Dr Peter Moey Kirm Seng, said the company has conducted "thorough checks" to ensure that the clinic is safe and ready for operation.
"The polyclinic has been cleaned up and damaged ceiling boards have been replaced," he said.
"In the meantime, we are working closely with the managing agent of Pasir Ris East Community Building to investigate the cause of this incident".
Yesterday's thunderstorm started at around 5am and lasted for close to five hours. Flash floods were reported at several locations. At 5.40am, intense rain caused flooding on the Pan Island Expressway towards Changi near the Tampines Avenue 5 exit.
The flood waters subsided after four minutes, according to national water agency PUB's Facebook and Twitter updates.
Three hours later, flash floods were reported at Upper Paya Lebar Road.
At Changi Airport, soaked carpets were spotted at the skytrain station of Terminal 2's transit area after rainwater leaked in. A Changi Airport spokesman said it was investigating how the water got in.
