The Star, Friday March 10, 2006

SUBANG JAYA STORM FURY

30 minutes that spelt chaos

SUBANG JAYA: Residents in this densely populated suburb outside Petaling Jaya thought a hurricane must have swept across their neighbourhood when a freak storm that lasted 30 minutes uprooted trees, blew off roofs, toppled over lampposts and caused chaos.

STORM HAVOC: Council workers helping to clear the road along Subang Parade in Subang Jaya yesterday. A tree lies uprooted in the foreground.

The worst-hit areas were SS14, SS17 and SS18, where the residents described the blustery weather conditions that started at 3pm yesterday as “nothing like they had ever seen before.”

SRK Subang Jaya in SS14/5 had to summon parents to take the pupils home after the winds tore away part of the roof and sent tiles flying.

“We rushed all our pupils into the school hall just in time, before the flying tiles hit the classrooms, offices and cars,” said the school’s evening principal Rokiah Shariff. The school will remain closed until repairs have been made.

Besides houses and property ravaged by the storm, hundreds of cars were also damaged by flying debris and falling trees and branches. No one was injured.

A map showing the affected areas.

The Meteorological Department, when contacted, was unable to explain the phenomenon.

In the aftermath of the storm, major roads in Subang Jaya and USJ were impassable due to uprooted trees and fallen billboards and street lamps, which blocked the way.

Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) and Alam Flora contractors were later deployed to remove the obstacles.

MPSJ public relations officer Azfarizal Abdul Rashid said affected residents could call the MPSJ hotline (03-5637 6545) or the complaints unit (03-8026 3131 ext 2212) if they needed help in clearing the mess.

“We have contractors and cranes on standby in every zone to help the residents,” he said.

Those whose cars were crushed by fallen trees should take photographs of the damage to support their claims against the MPSJ, he added.