COMMON OCCURRENCE: The stretch of 23 shops at Block 504, Jurong West Street 51, hit by flooding after a heavy downpour yesterday afternoon.
Ang Qing, The New Paper AsiaOne 12 Sep 15;
Whenever there is heavy rain, they know the drill.
Like clockwork, shop owners at Jurong West Street 51 will pack the wares they display outside their shops, to save them from the flood waters.
Yesterday afternoon was no different. A heavy downpour hit the stretch of 23 shops at Block 504 between noon and 1pm.
A bookshop sales assistant, who wanted to be known only as Madam Tan, 50, told The New Paper: "The water level was around 10cm high. If it had risen further, it would have entered my shop."
Frantic owners at a nearby market were also alert to the rising waters. "There was enough water to rear fish," joked one of the shopkeepers.
Yesterday's flood was one of the worst, said Mr Simon Tan, 57, a jewellery store owner.
He had to stay at a nearby coffee shop until 1.30pm before he could get back to his own shop.
Mr Tan said the floods have been a regular occurrence, dating back some 20 years.
After a few complaints, Mr Tan said the town council responded by opening the drain cover in front of his shop when it flooded.
But the problem has persisted.
Despite their frustration, many shopkeepers told TNP they were resigned to the situation.
USED TO IT
Clothing store owner Priscilla Lu, 47, said: "I was scared when I first saw the flooding 10 years ago because all my clothes got wet. Now, I'm used to it. Sometimes, I will help tell the others if I see the water is coming."
A household product store sales assistant in her 50s said in Mandarin: "When it floods, it takes half an hour for us to pack and another half an hour to take everything out. But I have no choice but to do it."
A PUB spokesman said that its officers reached the site at about 2.40pm and the water had subsided by then.
The national water agency said it will work with the relevant agencies to look into flood protection measures for the area.
