IT resembled a scene straight out of the movie "Twister," except this was the reality before our eyes, says Eugene Tham, whose friend’s condo unit was destroyed by a thunderstorm recently.
Tham, said his friend a resident residing on the 19th floor of Residensi Rimbunan Petaling in Seri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, a public housing development by Residensi Wilayah (formerly known as Rumawip), experienced the terrifying ordeal of seeing her entire rooftop being torn off by strong winds on Thursday (March 28) night, leaving her living room exposed to the elements.
The damage extended beyond just the rooftop; the corridor leading to her unit, as well as the kitchen, suffered extensive destruction, compelling the owner to seek refuge at her parents' home.
Tham questioned the durability of the roof, especially considering the project's relatively recent completion.
"The quality of the workmanship appears substandard, leading us to question the safety of those living there," he said.
When contacted the unit owner who only wanted to be known as Wan, said she heard about the incident from her neighbour who sent her a video of the damage outside her unit.
Nothing prepared her for the damage inside the unit though.
"I could not see my floor, but I could see the sky," Wan said, adding that the entire area was soaked in rainwater. Wan had only moved into the unit last month.
She bought the unit for RM300,000 and received the keys in August 2020.
Wan was currently in talks with her building management over the cost of damage and was hoping that the repairs would be completed as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, about 28 vehicles were damaged during the same thunderstorm, after debris that had been ripped off the rooftops of Block C at the Kampung Muhhibah People’s Housing Project (PPR), landed on them in the flat’s parking lot.
Thankfully, there were no injuries reported, but the damage to both the cars and the building’s roof were significant, amounting to thousands of ringgit.
T. Navindran, 31, recounted how his car was crushed by falling debris just after he had parked and exited the vehicle.
"I've suffered a financial loss, but I consider myself fortunate to have escaped unharmed," he said.
A trader, identified only as Hajar, reported the loss of her canopy, tables, and chairs due to the strong winds.
"I am not the only one who lost everything, there are at least 20 traders operating in the PPR who also experienced similar losses," she said.
PPR Kampung Muhibbah Resident Association chairman, Attar Bacha, expressed shock at the severity of the damage.
"While it's common for thunderstorms to cause damage to canopies and tables, the complete ripping off of the roof was just shocking," he said, adding that the association was currently assessing the extent of the building's damage.
Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, who visited the site immediately after the incident, mobilised her own contractors to repair the roof and provided financial assistance of RM300 to each victim who lost their car in the incident.
Kok explained that waiting for Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to allocate funds for repairs would take time, hence her proactive approach.
"Considering the seriousness of the case we acted quickly, and I also hope that DBKL will allocate more funds for the residents who lost their vehicles."
Kok said that additionally, three schools — SK Bukit Jalil, SMK Bukit Jalil, and SMK Bandar Baru Seri Petaling which were also affected by the storm were allocated RM30,000 each for repair works from her own allocation.
StarMetro attempted to reach out to DBKL for comments but did not receive a response at the time of press.
