Malaysia: Intensity of Friday’s downpour in Penang a once-in-40-year occurrence, says state exco

royce tan The Star 5 Oct 14;

GEORGE TOWN: The high rainfall of 137mm, recorded during Friday’s storm, is a once-in-40-year occurrence, said State Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow.

“The downpour last night was estimated to be a 40-year average recurrence interval (ARI) which means that it will occur once every 40 years or at a 2.5% chance of occurrence in any given year,” he told a press conference at the Town Hall here, Saturday.

A rainfall between 30mm to 60mm is considered heavy and figures above 60mm are classified as very heavy.

“The capacity of the drains in Penang is between two-year and 10-year ARI and that was certainly not enough to withstand the heavy downpour.

“Our drainage system is not designed to cope with such rainfall intensity.

“It’s quite impossible to build a drain taking into account a high level of ARI in Penang. If we do, then the drains will be as wide as the roads here,” he said.

Clean up in Penang begins following Friday's heavy downpour
winnie yeoh AND royce cheah The Star 5 Oct 14;

GEORGE TOWN: Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) workers started early on Saturday, cleaning up areas hit hard by the previous night's heavy rain and resulting flash floods.

State Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the rainfall accumulated from Friday’s storm was one of the highest in the past 20 years, a record of 110mm for the whole day.

“The average recurrence interval was that of a 20-year storm, which is considered of a heavy proportion,” he said when contacted.

State Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said that volunteers had distributed food to over 2,000 residents from the Jalan P. Ramlee and Sungai Pinang areas early Saturday morning.

“Some residents from Jalan P. Ramlee had to evacuate from their houses temporarily last night.

“The water was rising fast. But they were back early this morning,” he said.

He added that the flash floods only affected the island and that on the mainland, the situation was manageable.

Over at Taman Gottlieb near Kebun Bunga, several residents were evacuated on Friday following a landslide.

Fire and Rescue Department personnel and policemen are still on standby at the scene for any untoward incidents.

The rain started on Friday evening with Jalan Masjid Negri, Jalan Mount Erskine, Jalan Transfer, Jalan Gurdwara, Jalan Scotland, Jalan Air Itam, Jalan Datuk Keramat, Jalan Anson, Jalan P. Ramlee, Jalan Terengganu, Jalan Makloom, Jalan Hospital and Jalan Macallum among the affected areas.

The state government’s flood mitigation committee is expect to hold a press conference.

Authorities on standby in Penang for more flash floods
christopher tan The Star 5 oct 14;

GEORGE TOWN: It's has been raining in many parts of Penang since Saturday night and the authorities are on standby to respond to any flood emergency.

The wet spell is expected to last for the next three days.

The Malaysia Meteorological Department only expected fair weather on Thursday.

Last Friday saw several areas in Penang hit by flash floods.

Motorists were caught in traffic snarls for two to three hours.
Among the places that were flooded were Jalan Masjid Negri, Jalan Mount Erskine, Jalan Transfer, Jalan Gurdwara, Jalan Scotland, Jalan Air Itam, Jalan Datuk Keramat, Jalan Anson, Jalan P. Ramlee, Jalan Terengganu, Jalan Makloom, Jalan Hospital and Jalan Macallum, and the Pulau Tikus, Taman Hye Keat, Taman Lumba Kuda and Batu Uban areas.