Nowhere to go: Pupils at Pasti Darul Ulum Kindergarten in Jalan Kampung Masjid, Teluk Kumbar, waiting for help to arrive when water started rising in the premises.
BALIK PULAU: Forty children spent about half an hour on a pickup truck after floodwaters started inundating their kindergarten in Jalan Kampung Masjid, Teluk Kumbar.
Several villagers, including the truck owner, came to the rescue upon learning about the ankle-deep water at Pasti Darul Ulum Kindergarten.
They were assisted by firemen from the Seri Balik Pulau fire station, who helped carry the children to safety during the 10am incident yesterday.
The children, aged between four and six, returned to their classrooms after the water subsided at about 10.30am.
Earlier, three teachers told the children to either stand or sit on chairs and tables in the classrooms when rainwater started flowing in after the rain, which began at about 7am.
With the water level rising, panic swept the classrooms, and some of the children cried out loud.
Tiring cleanup: Resident Hasiah Md Isa, 65, (standing)cleaning her home in the flood aftermath in Kampung Batu Maung in Permatang Damar Laut, Bayan Lepas. — KT GOH/The Star
A State Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said the department received a distress call at about 10am, informing them that the children could be in danger.
“We immediately sent a team to the location and helped evacuate the children to higher ground, in this case, the pickup truck at the site.
“There were 25 boys and 15 girls in total,” he said, adding that no casualties were reported during the incident.
The spokesman said rainwater had overflowed the nearby river and drainage, resulting in flash floods in the Bayan Lepas areas that saw water rise to 0.6m at one point.
The area was among several low-lying areas in Batu Maung and Permatang Damar Laut hit by flash floods following a heavy downpour.
Among the affected places were Kampung Blok K, Kampung Batu Maung and Jalan Permatang Damar Laut in the southwest district.
In Kampung Batu Maung, several villagers said they have had enough of dealing with the perennial issue.
Deluged in misery: Family members salvaging some of their belongings during the floods in Kampung Batu Maung, Bayan Lepas.
Housewife Hanisah Yahya, 37, said she and her family members were tired of cleaning their house whenever it rained heavily.
“We know flash floods will hit whenever it rains. We have to be prepared.
“It was the worst this time around, as the floodwaters reached my knees after only an hour of heavy rain.
“If I remember correctly, this is the seventh occurrence this year,” said the mother of three in Kampung Batu Maung.
Another villager, Suhaimy Saidin, 43, said he was fearful of another flood.
He said the village would be flooded only after more than five hours of rain the previous time.
“But it’s different this time, as the place would be inundated after just one hour of non-stop rain.
The Star previously reported that the monsoon season was approaching and that various agencies and authorities across the country were preparing for floods.
Equipment is being prepared, personnel are being retrained and put on standby to help victims.
